Saints

Saint Olga was born on February 3, 1916, in the Yup'ik village of Kwethluk, Alaska. Her family herded reindeer, and Olga (Arrsamquq, her Yup'ik name) loved spending time in the mountains as a child, playing with her six brothers. She married her...

Saint Mary lived in the fifth century. As a girl, she left her Christian family in order to follow her pleasures in unbridled sinful living. At one point she joined a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, selling herself in exchange for passage. When they...

After the miraculous conception of Saint John the Baptist by Saint Elizabeth and the Annunciation to the Theotokos of the conception of the Lord Jesus, the two cousins met at Elizabeth's home. When the Theotokos entered Elizabeth's presence, John leapt...

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...

The holy Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene was from the village of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. At some point in her life, she came under the possession of seven demons. The Lord Jesus cast the demons out (Luke 8), and Mary became...

Saint Ignatius is known to have been a disciple of Saint John the Evangelist, and a contributor to the early ministry of the Church. He is also believed to have been that “little child” who Jesus used as an example of the...

Saint Dymphna lived in the seventh century. She was born in Oriel in northeastern Ireland to Damon, a pagan king; her mother was a Christian. When she was 14 years old, Dymphna took a vow of chastity. Her mother died soon afterwards. After the death of...

Saint Anna was the wife of Saint Joachim. In her old age, Anna became the mother of the Virgin Mary Theotokos, and the grandmother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Her feast is celebrated on September 9, and she is known as a powerful intercessor for...

Saint Patrick was a 5th century missionary and bishop in Ireland, and he is the foremost patron saint of that country. His feast is celebrated on March 17 by Christians all around the world. In the icon, he is vested as a bishop. He holds the Gospel in...

Saint John was the Russian Orthodox bishop of various cities in the 20th century, including Shanghai, China, and San Francisco, California. In these and other places he cared for his flock, which included many Russians who had fled the persecution of...

This 15th century icon of Saint John Chrysostom was painted in Bulgaria. Saint John Chrysostom (which means "Golden-Mouthed," after his eloquent speaking abilities) is one of the greatest preachers and theologians in Church history. His sermons and...

Saint Augustine lived in the 4th century. He was raised by his mother, Saint Monica, in Carthage, Africa. He lived a prodigal life of sin, and at the ceaseless prayers of his mother, he came to repentance and true faith in Christ. Augustine's...

Saint Nectarios (also spelled Nektarios or Nectarius) was from Thrace (in modern northern Turkey). He was born in 1846 and became a monk in 1876. He was blessed to undertake theological studies in Athens, and was ordained a priest in Cairo, Egypt, in...

This stunning fresco depicts the arrival of the Gospel to the natives of Alaska.  Saints Herman, Juvenaly, and Innocent were the first saints of the Orthodox Church to shine forth in the wilderness of Alaska. With a missionary spirit desiring to...

Blessed Xenia (pronounced Ksenia) lived in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the 18th century. Her husband Andrew, a Colonel in the Russian Army, died suddenly when she was 26 years old. Xenia was devastated, as Andrew died while drinking and carrying on...

This icon by American iconographer Mark Fiorenzo depicts the great 20th century luminary Saint Nektarios in his black monastic habit. He holds the Gospel and raises his hand in a gesture of blessing, proper to his role in the Church as a bishop. Saint...

Saint Patrick was a 5th century missionary and bishop in Ireland, and he is the foremost patron saint of that country. His feast is celebrated on March 17 by Christians all around the world. In the icon, he is vested as a bishop. He holds the Gospel in...

This 21st-century Bulgarian icon, painted by the hand of Georgi Chimev, features Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom. About the year 1100, there arose a discussion among the Christians of Constantinople about which of...

Mother Maria (Skobtsova) was a native of Latvia, born in 1891. As a teenager, she was drawn to the teachings of the Socialists. Eventually her concern for the poor led her back to her faith in Christ, and she returned to her native Russian Orthodox...

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 Olga was born on February 3, 1916, in the Yup'ik village of Kwethluk, Alaska. Her family herded reindeer, and Olga (Arrsamquq, her Yup'ik name) loved spending time in the mountains as a child, playing with her six brothers. She married her...

This icon of Saint Raphael of Brooklyn is from Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn. It depicts Saint Raphael in his full ligturgical vestments. Surrounding him is a vine sprouting from the seeds of Orthodoxy he planted in North...

Saint Elizabeth was born in Germany in 1864 to a noble family. At age 14 she was orphaned, and was raised in part by her grandmother, Queen Victoria of Great Britain. She married into the Russian Royal Family in 1884, joining to her husband, Grand Duke...

Saint Athanasius was born to a Christian family in Alexandria in 295. He was ordained the bishop of Alexandria before he reached his thirtieth birthday, and became a leader of the Church even before that.  At the time that Athanasius was...

Saint Monica was born about the year 330. She had a gentle disposition and always kept guard of her tongue, and by this she avoided the wrath of her short-tempered pagan husband. Monica desired to have her three children baptized, but her husband would...

St. Basil was born in Caesarea in 329, to a holy family full of saints. He went to complete his education in Athens, where he first met his lifelong friend St. Gregory the Theologian. Later, after he had spent some time in solitude, Basil became a...

Saint Elizabeth was the wife of Righteous Zacharias the high priest and the mother of Saint John the Forerunner. She was a descendent of Aaron and a sister of Saint Anna, the mother of the Theotokos. She was barren, but the Lord heard the prayers...

Saint Cecilia was from a wealthy Roman family. Through her witness to the Gospel, she brought her husband and brother into the Faith. They suffered martyrdom in the year 288, during the reign of Diocletian. Her feast is celebrated on November 22. She...

Saint Ignatius is known to have been a disciple of Saint John the Evangelist, and a contributor to the early ministry of the Church. He is also believed to have been that “little child” who Jesus used as an example of the...

This icon is a reproduction of the Cathedral Shrine to St. Raphael. Originally commissioned prior to his becoming a saint, the icon was later corrected after his glorification in 2000. An interesting feature of this icon is the engolpion (panagia) that...

Saint Mary lived in the fifth century. As a girl, she left her Christian family in order to follow her pleasures in unbridled sinful living. At one point she joined a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, selling herself in exchange for passage. When they...

Emperor Constantine the Great, Equal-to-the-Apostles, legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. He once saw a vision of the Cross in the sky and heard a voice say, "In this sign conquer." His mother, Helen, served as his Empress. She was devoted to...

This 19th century Old Believer icon of the great penitent Saint Mary of Egypt comes from Mstera, Russia. She stands in the center, surrounded by scenes of her meetings with Abba Zosimas. She is commemorated on April 1, and in the Orthodox Church, the...

Saint Helen, the Equal-to-the-Apostles, was the mother of Saint Constantine. As the mother of the Roman Emperor, she served as his Empress. She was devoted to the Holy Land, and discovered the True Cross on which Christ was crucified. This event is...

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...

This 21st-century Bulgarian icon, painted by the hand of Georgi Chimev, features Saints Photius the Great, Gregory Palamas, and Mark of Ephesus. Also known as the Three New Holy Hierarchs, these holy Hierarchs had significant roles in guiding the...

Saint John of Kronstadt was a married priest who lived in virginity with his wife. He worked tirelessly for the poor and the people of his parish, and was given by the Lord the ability read thoughts and work miracles. So great was his holiness, that in...

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...

Saint Photeini (also known as Photina, Photine, Photini, or Svetlana) was the Samaritan Woman met by Christ in John 4. Their conversation is the longest recorded dialogue between Christ and a single person.  She had had five husbands and was...

Saint Patrick was a 5th century missionary and bishop in Ireland, and he is the foremost patron saint of that country. His feast is celebrated on March 17 by Christians all around the world. In the icon, he is vested as a bishop. He holds the Gospel in...