Saints

Saint Nikephoros born in Greece in 1887. He suffered from leprosy and was sent to live in a leper colony at age 13. He joined the monastery of Chios in 1916 at age 24. He bore his ailment and its disfiguring effects with patience, chanting in the...

The Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, also called Levi, was one of the Twelve Apostles and the brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus. He was a tax collector for Rome, but followed Jesus when he heard His call, and repaid everyone he had cheated...

Saint Clement was converted to Christ through the Apostle Peter. He served as the third Bishop of Rome after the death of the Apostles, from about AD 91 to 99. His feast is celebrated on November 23 in the West, November 24 by the Greeks, and November...

Saint Nicholas was born in the third century in the city of Patara. His wealthy Christian parents died when he was young, and he gave his inheritance to the poor. Devoting himself to the Church, Nicholas was eventually ordained Bishop of Myra...

Moses was a prophet, transcriber of Holy Law, and mediator between God and man. Through Moses, God made Himself known to the people of Israel. In his obedience to God and his communication of the Law to the people, Moses laid the foundation for our...

This historic icon of the Archangel Michael is depicted in vivid colors and stunning details. Following a traditional Balkan style, Holy Michael is depicted bearing a sword in his right hand and an orb in his left. The orb is marked with the Greek...

This historic Russian icon depicts the meeting of St. Thomas the Apostle and the Risen Christ a week after the Resurrection. According to the Gospel account, Thomas said that he would not believe in Christ’s resurrection until he touches his...

This contemporary Byzantine icon depicts the Holy Patriarch Abraham. Called to leave his homeland in the Fertile Crescent for a new land and God, he became the father of the children of God. One of the Holy Forefathers of Christ, his faithfulness is...

This icon is a beautiful contemporary Byzantine portrayal of the Old Testament Prophet Solomon. As the son of David, he also is included in the line of Christ as one of his fore-fathers. Renowned for his Wisdom literature (Song of Solomon and...

Barbara, born in the third century in Syria, was so beautiful that her pagan father placed her in an isolated tower to keep her innocent of any influence except his own until she could be married. Like St. Christina, Barbara also came to realize...

Saint Katherine (also spelled Catherine) was a Great Martyr who suffered in the year 305 at the hands of Maximinus of Alexandria. She is commemorated in the Slavic churches on November 24, the date of her martyrdom. In the Byzantine churches, she is...

Saint Tryphon (or Trypho) was from Lampsacus (modern Lapseki). He tended geese and was filled with the Holy Spirit, able to work powerful miracles of healing and exorcism. He became a bold preacher of Christ during the reign of Emperor Decius, about...

In this contemporary Russian icon we have the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles, who were the ones chosen by Christ to live closest to Him during His ministry and to be the foremost evangelists of the nations. The Twelve all have their own feast days, but...

Saint Columba was a 6th century Irish missionary who evangelized in Scotland. One of the earliest missionaries to the Scottish tribes, he founded several monasteries and churches. Also a renowned writer, he composed hymns and transcribed hundreds of...

Saint Joseph lived in Syria in the 19th century. He was a priest who worked as a translator and editor of the Church Fathers' writings, desiring to bring their teachings to the faithful. In 1860, a wave of anti-Christian Druze riots swept through...

The Three Holy Youths Ananias, Misael, and Azarias were among the Jews who were taken to Babylon in the sixth century BC. King Nebuchadnezzar took them into his royal household where they served, along with the Prophet Daniel. They were given Persian...

The Church has received the tradition of the conception of the Mother of God from the ancient Fathers of the Church. The Virgin Mary was born to her parents about 16 or 17 years before the birth of Christ. Her father Joachim was descended from the...

Job was a descendent of Abraham, and righteous in every way. For this, he was richly blessed with wealth and power. God saw fit to test Job. All at once, he lost his children and his wealth. His body was afflicted with painful sores. Job's few...

The feast of All Saints is commemorated on the Sunday After Pentecost by Eastern Christians and November 1 by Western Christians. This 18th century Russian icon features 80 representatives of all the ranks of Saints: Apostles, Prophets, Hierarchs,...

Saint Polycarp was a disciple of Saint John the Theologian, the apostle and author of the New Testament books of John and Revelation. He was ordained by Saint John as the fifth bishop of Smyrna in Asia Minor. He suffered in the persecutions of Marcus...

This 19th century Byzantine icon of the Apostle John the Theologian uniquely depicts him contemplating the stories of Christ in silence. Whether writing or reading his own Gospel account, his face reflects the depth of love that he shared with the Lord...

Saint Gregory was born in 329 in Cappadocia. After his studies, he suffered in a shipwreck and feared for his soul, as he was unbaptized. God spared him, and arriving in Athens, he joined his friend Basil the Great. They lived as monastic brothers in...

The Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John was the older cousin of our Lord. He was born miraculously of his aged parents, specially chosen by God to prepare the way for Christ, the Messiah. It was John who identified Jesus as "the Lamb of God...

Saint Onuphrius lived in the fourth century. He was a hermit in the deserts of Egypt, living alone. He had a wild appearance, covered in hair and naked except for a small garment made of leaves. Saint Paphnuitus was mystically sent to bury Onuphrius,...

St. Jude is another Apostle whose role in Jesus’ ministry is not elaborated on in scripture.  When he is named among the Apostles, he is also called Thaddeus or Lebbaeus. It is not known how he was called to Jesus or exactly what he achieved...

Saint John (surnamed Mansur, later called Chrysorroas, "the Golden Stream" for his writing) was born in Damascus, Syria, late in the 7th century. (This was soon after the Umayyad dynasty took control of the region from the Eastern Roman Empire.) His...

Saint Nicholas II reigned as the last Tsar (Emperor) of Russia from 1894 to 1917. His rule saw the liberalization and eventual fall of the Russian Empire in the Bolshevik Revolution, which ushered in the Soviet communism which was incredibly...

Saint Tikhon was the first Patriarch of Moscow after the patriarchate was restored in 1917. But before this, he served as Bishop of the Aleuts and North America, and became an American citizen. He worked tirelessly to establish new churches in America,...

The equals-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, who legalized and defended Christianity in the Roman Empire, and his mother Helen, who discovered the precious Cross of the Lord, are celebrated together on May 21.

This 19th century Russian icon portrays the synaxis (assembly) of the holy Angels and Archangels. In the center is an orb containing Christ as Emmanuel. Behind Christ, holding orbs reading IC XC ("Jesus Christ"), is the chief Archangel,...

In this 16th century Cretan icon, the Theotokos is praised by Old Testament figures, from the Patriarch Jacob (holding the ladder), to Moses, the Prophets, and finally John the Forerunner, the last of the Old Testament prophets. The iconographer...

The holy, glorious Apostle Thomas is celebrated on October 6, and his "excellent unbelief, which led the hearts of the faithful to knowledge" is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on the Sunday after Pascha.

Barachiel in the Hebrew language means Blessing of God. One of the eight traditional archangels, he is depicted holding roses. He is considered to be a leader of the Guardian Angels, and a patron of married couples and families. This icon is...

According to Church tradition, after the bodily death of Mary the Theotokos, she was buried by the Apostles. But Thomas was delayed, and he desired to look upon her face one last time. When the tomb was opened, her body was gone (for Christ had already...

This fine icon of the holy Ancestor of God Saint Joachim is by the hand of American iconographer Mark Fiorenzo. It depicts the father of the Virgin Mary and grandfather of Jesus Christ with his hand raised in a gesture of prayer. This icon can be paired...

The educated St. Philip plays a relatively minor role in the Gospels, but his actions as a disciple while Jesus was alive show his practical nature and logical mind. He is commemorated on November 14. He was close friends with the Apostle Bartholomew,...

Saint Cyprian served as bishop of Carthage in the Roman province of Africa (in modern Tunisia). He was baptized late in life, but his conversion was radical and swift. Because of his great zeal, he was ordained a deacon, then priest, then bishop within...

This historic Greek icon depicts the beloved Apostle John the Theologian. Exiled to the Mediterranean island of Patmos in his old age, he is shown receiving the revelation of the apocalypse (unfolding) and dictating to his scribe, St. Prochorus. This...

Saints Peter and Paul are celebrated together as the Holy and Glorious Leaders of the Apostles. Saint Peter was a zealous follower of Christ, and was the first to confess His Divinity. While the Apostle denied Christ after His arrest, the Lord forgave...

Saints Peter and Paul are celebrated together as the Holy and Glorious Leaders of the Apostles. Saint Peter was a zealous follower of Christ, and was the first to confess His Divinity. While the Apostle denied Christ after His arrest, the Lord forgave...