Synaxarion

Holy King Olaf A viking, the son of Harald, a local ruler in Norway, Olaf went on expeditions from the age of 12. Traveling with Thorkell the Tall, young Olaf discovered the Truth of Christ and received holy baptism at Rouen. He journeyed to England and fought alongside King Athelred against the invading Danes. Returning home, Olaf was victorious in the sea battle of Nesjar and was accepted as King. He waged a war to free his home from the Swedes and Danes and sought to make Christianity the basis of his kingdom. With the help of English missionaries, Saint Olaf spread the Faith throughout the land and built many churches. After ten years of peaceful reign over a unified Norway, Olaf faced a rebellion of nobles, funded by the Danish king. Olaf was overthrown and forced into exile in Kievan Rus. He returned two years later and was slain in battle. Many miracles occurred in relation to Saint Olaf's death and one year later his body was found to be incorrupt. Saint Olaf is known as the eternal King of Norway.

Saint Herman of Alaska Saint Herman, born in 1751 near Moscow to a peasant family, became a great ascetic and servant of God, joining the first Orthodox Christian mission to North America. In his youth, he learned from a wise elder in his cell and was miraculously healed of a deadly illness, leaving doctors in awe. After military service, he was tonsured at Valaam monastery and 11 years later was chosen to join a mission to the Russian colony in Alaska. After nine months of dangerous seafaring, Herman and nine other monks arrived at Kodiak and brought thousands of natives to Christ and built a school, a church and a monastery. Defending the natives from vicious exploitation, the monks came under persecution. Herman relocated to the wilderness of Spruce Island where he spent 40 years raising Aleut orphans. He ate very little, wore a heavy iron cross and chains under his clothes, and used a wooden board and two bricks as his blanket and pillow. Cherished by all who knew him, Saint Herman joined Christ in 1836.

Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon Born in third century Nicomedia to a wealthy pagan father and a Christian mother, Panteleimon studied medicine and then learned the True Faith from the priest Hermolaus. He healed the sick through prayer and brought many to baptism. When Panteleimon miraculously gave sight to a blind man by invoking the Name of Christ, his own father witnessed this and converted to the Faith. After inheriting his family's riches, the saint distributed his wealth to the sick and the poor. But envious colleagues reported the healer to the government. Brought to trial, Panteleimon boldly proclaimed Jesus Christ and healed a paralytic in front of the emperor, yet still he was condemned to death. After a series of extreme tortures failed to harm him and only convinced his executioners of the awesome power of Christ, Panteleimon prayed for God to forgive his persecutors. Deep in prayer, Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon commended his spirit to God and then was beheaded and joined Christ in the year 305.

Saint Moses the Hungarian Moses and his brothers served in the court of Holy Prince Boris. After Boris' martyrdom, Moses escaped to Kiev where he was captured and taken to Poland, and then sold as a slave to a wealthy and depraved widow. The woman attempted to seduce handsome Moses into debauchery, but he had vowed to live in chastity before the Lord and he remained steadfast. She tempted him with marriage and riches but he refused and secretly received monastic tonsure from a traveling Athonite hieromonk. Enraged, the wicked woman had Moses bound and beaten with iron rods until his blood soaked the ground. He was mutilated and emasculated. When the widow was killed during an uprising, Moses was freed. Bearing the wounds of a confessor, he traveled to the Kiev Caves monastery where he pursued prayer and silence. Christ gave Saint Moses the courage and strength to endure his grievous suffering and in turn he assisted many of his brothers in overcoming the fleshly temptations until he reposed in peace in 1043.

Saint Bogolep, Child Schemamonk of Black Ravine A divinely wise child, Bogolep was born to a pious couple in the 17th century and baptized Boris. As an infant, he refused to nurse on fasting days and when the church bells rang he would cry loudly until taken to divine services. In church, he radiated joy and only after liturgy would he accept food. During the plague years his legs were covered in sores and he suffered extreme pain but still limped to church every day. The disease passed but soon he was struck with leprosy. A traveling monk blessed the family and Boris became even more filled with love for God. He entreated his parents that he might become a monk and wear an angelic habit like the elder. Sensing that it was the will of God, they allowed Boris to be tonsured and take the name Bogolep. Clothed in the Great Schema, he was completely healed and three days later he left this world and joined Christ. Through Saint Bogolep’s intercessions, his city was miraculously protected from foreign invasions.

Saint Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov Saint Seraphim was born in Kursk in 1759 to a pious Orthodox family. As a boy, he loved church and prayer and reading Scripture. He was healed from a grave illness by an icon of the Theotokos. He went to Sarov monastery at 19, became a monk at 27, was ordained a deacon and then priest. He began living as a hermit in the forest, devoted to prayer and fasting, going to the monastery on Sundays for Holy Communion. After being beaten by robbers, he was always bent over and needed a staff to walk. He spent a thousand days and nights kneeling on a stone in prayer and then spent 13 years in absolute silence. After a heavenly vision, Seraphim ended his silence and began to speak for the benefit of others. He received thousands of pilgrims from across Russia in his forest cell, greeting all with a prostration and the words: Christ is Risen! Gifted with clairvoyance, he gave consolation and guidance to all. Saint Seraphim reposed in 1833, kneeling before an icon of the Theotokos.

Saint John the Much Suffering Tormented by fleshly lust from which nothing could deliver him, venerable John prayed at the relics of Saint Anthony and received guidance to become a recluse, so that through seclusion and silence he might weaken his vexation. Settling in a cave, he struggled for 30 years, accepting many sorrows for the sake of chastity. Often tempted to forsake his path, he resolved to greater effort. The holy warrior of Christ dug a pit and climbed into it, covered to his shoulders for all of Great Lent. The Enemy of mankind terrorized John for days in the form of a fire-breathing serpent until, on the night of the Resurrection, it held the saint's head in its jaws. Crying out to God from the depths of his heart, John was finally freed when, with a bolt of lightning, the serpent vanished. John learned that he was allowed to suffer and struggle with temptation for so long so that he might be purified like gold. Saint John remains a powerful intercessor for deliverance from sexual impurity.

Holy Martyr Marina Born in third century Antioch to pagan parents, young Marina learned about Jesus Christ at the age of 12. Inflamed with love for the Lord, she vowed to never marry but to become the bride of Christ. Disowned by her father, Marina was arrested at the age of 15 during the persecution by Diocletian. When she courageously rejected the governor Olymbrios' public offer to renounce the Faith and become his wife, Marina was given over to extreme torture. After being beaten, burned, with nails driven through her flesh, the saint was thrown into prison where she defeated satan in spiritual and physical combat and was then healed of all her wounds. Tortured again the following day, Marina was burned with fire and then plunged into water to be drowned. This became Saint Marina's baptism and she emerged glowing with uncreated light and glorifying the Holy Trinity. All who witnessed this confessed Jesus Christ and were executed. Thousands were beheaded along with the Holy Martyr Marina in the year 304.

Holy Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles Saint Vladimir was the son of Prince Svyatoslav and grandson of Saint Olga. Raised pagan by his father, who had rejected the Orthodox Christian faith of Olga, Vladimir set out to determine which faith was best for his people. He sent envoys to Constantinople and they returned telling him of the divine services at the church of the Hagia Sophia, of such beauty that they had not known whether they were on earth or in heaven. Embracing Orthodoxy, Vladimir was baptized and initiated the Baptism of Rus. He utterly changed his way of life and devoted all his labor to the perfect fulfilling of the True Faith. The largest idol was dragged off the hill of Kiev and thrown into the Dnieper, and Vladimir decreed that churches be built throughout the land on the places where all the idols had stood. Vladimir himself built a beautiful church dedicated to the most holy Mother of God. Over 1000 years later, Saint Vladimir's legacy remains as a great beacon to Christ and salvation.

Saints Theodore and John, Protomartyrs of Rus Saint Theodore, a Varangian baptized during his military service in Constantinople, lived in Kiev with his pious son John at the end of the 10th century. It was several years before the Baptism of Rus and a great pagan unrest roiled the land, accompanied by the destruction of churches and the killing of clergy. When the pagan priests cast lots to decide their next bloody sacrifice, it fell upon the Christian youth John. Informed that his son had been chosen by the gods themselves, Theodore told the pagans: These are not gods, but wood that rots. God is One and He created heaven and earth, the sun and man. These gods, what have they created? I shall not give my son over to devils! As Theodore and John bravely stood in the doorway of their home, an enraged mob encircled the house. Theodore challenged the fake gods to manifest and the crowd murdered the father and his son. Saints Theodore and John became the first martyrs for the Orthodox faith in the Russian land.

Holy Princess Olga Saint Olga was the initiator of the Orthodox Christian faith in the Russian land. After the assassination of her husband Prince Igor in 945, Olga became ruler of Kiev. She sailed to Constantinople and was baptized with the name Helen by the Patriarch, with the Byzantine emperor as her godfather. Returning home with a piece of the Holy Cross, Saint Olga devoted herself to evangelizing the pagans and building churches. A wise leader and great builder of civil life and culture, her greatest hope was to unite her people under Christ. Though her efforts to establish Christianity were resisted by her son, they were continued and fulfilled by her grandson, the great prince Saint Vladimir; together they mark the transition between pagan and Christian Russia. Saint Olga reposed in 969 before her dream was realized, but she lived and died a devout Christian and her relics remained incorrupt. Holy Princess Olga, Equal-to-the-Apostles, was glorified as the first Russian saint of the Orthodox Church.

Saint Sisoes the Great Sisoes pursued God and practiced asceticism in the Egyptian desert in the 4th and 5th centuries. For 72 years, he lived in a cave that had been sanctified by his predecessor, Saint Anthony the Great. Through his great struggles he learned humility, attained a sublime purity, and was granted gifts of wonderworking: healing the sick, driving out unclean spirits, and raising the dead. Though extremely strict with himself, Sisoes was greatly merciful and compassionate with others - a fount of living wisdom who received all with love. At the time of his repose, surrounded by his brothers, his face shone like the sun. He rejoiced in the choirs of the saints coming near to him and his radiance increased. He seemed to speak to someone and when asked he said The angels are coming for me and I am begging for time to repent. One brother said Sisoes had no further need of repentance but Sisoes the Great said Truly, I have not even begun to repent and with a flash of lightning he joined the Lord.

Saint Sergius, Wonderworker of Radonezh A great ascetic and bright light of the Orthodox Church, Saint Sergius was born in 1313 in Rostov and baptized Bartholomew. After the death of his devout parents, he became a monk and founded the monastic community of the Holy Trinity in the forest of Radonezh. A gentle servant of God, occupied only with prayer and labor, Sergius was given gifts of wonderworking due to his purity of heart. He raised the dead in the name of Christ and the Mother of God appeared to him several times. Sergius attained theosis and experienced great insight into the Life-Creating Trinity. He could see into men's hearts and perceive distant events. Princes and bishops came to him for counsel. He gave his blessing to Prince Dimitri of the Don and foretold his victory in the war of liberation. His monastery overflowed with monks during his lifetime and today remains a center of spiritual life. Thirty years after his repose in 1392, Saint Sergius’ body was uncovered and found to be incorrupt.

Holy Royal Martyrs of Russia Saint Tsar Nicholas II was the last emperor of Russia and the son of Alexander III, who had reposed in the arms of Saint John of Kronstadt. Raised in piety, Nicholas sought to rule in the spirit of the Orthodox Christian faith and the best traditions of his nation. His wife Alexandra, a convert from Lutheranism, was known for her piety and compassion for the poor and suffering. Their five children were beloved for their kindness, modesty, and guilelessness. Amidst the political turmoil of 1917, Nicholas selflessly abdicated the throne for what he believed was the good of his country. Though he stepped down willingly, the revolutionaries put him and his family under house arrest. After enduring sixteen months of imprisonment, deprivation, and humiliation with a Christian patience which moved even their captors, they gained their crowns of martyrdom when they were shot and stabbed to death in the cellar of the Ipatiev house in Ekaterinburg in the early morning of July 17, 1918.

Saint Juvenaly, Protomartyr of America The holy, glorious, right-victorious hieromartyr Juvenaly of Alaska, Protomartyr of America, was a member of the first Orthodox Christian mission to the New Land. Born in 1761 in Yekaterinburg, he was tonsured a monk, then ordained deacon, then priest, becoming a hieromonk. In 1793, Juvenaly joined Saint Herman and seven other monks on a mission from Valaam monastery, traveling 8,000 miles to bring the Orthodox faith to the natives of Alaska. Arriving on Kodiak, they found a very primitive, often violent situation in the Russian colony. The monks defended the natives from grievous abuse and exploitation, which in turn led to their own persecution. Despite extreme hardships, the mission persevered and brought many thousands of Alaskans to the faith. While evangelizing on the mainland in 1796, Saint Juvenaly was killed by a pagan shaman who was frightened by the sign of the Cross, and this great enlightener became the first Orthodox Christian martyr in North America.

The Holy Martyrs and Wonderworkers Cosmas and Damian Cosmas and Damien were brothers born in Rome in the third century, physicians by profession. Raised in piety, they led chaste lives and were granted the gift of healing. Refusing to accept payment, the saints were called unmercenary healers. Through their miracles and exceptional kindliness, the brothers converted many to Christ and attracted the attention of the Roman authorities. Locked in prison and taken to trial, they boldly confessed their faith in Christ and refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan idols. The emperor Carinus threatened the brothers but he was suddenly struck blind and begged them to heal him, promising to follow Christ. The saints healed Carinus and were set free with honor and returned to their ministry. But an older physician, under whom the holy brothers had studied, became jealous of their fame. Driven to madness by this malice, he lured the healers into the mountains where he murdered them and threw their bodies into a river.

Saint David of Thessalonica Our holy father David pursued asceticism at the monastery of the Holy Martyrs Theodore and Mercurios. With zeal for Christ, and inspired by the example of the stylites, Saint David lived in an almond tree in constant prayer. Keeping strict fast and enduring heat and cold, he remained there for three years until an angel told him to come down. In Thessalonica, David received from God the gift of wonderworking, healing many from sickness and amazing the people with countless miracles. Once, the saint took a live coal in his hand, placed incense on it, and censed the emperor. The emperor bowed down to the ground before Saint David, who glorified God. Giving spiritual counsel to all who came to him and having attained to passionlessness, the holy ascetic David was like an angel in the flesh. He entered peacefully into rest in 540.

Saints Peter and Fevronia Holy Prince Peter was the son of prince Yuri Vladimirovich and ascended the throne of Murom in 1203. Saint Peter had leprosy and no one could heal him. In a vision it was revealed to the prince that the daughter of a beekeeper would heal him – the peasant maiden Fevronia. Peter sent his emissaries to her village and when he met Fevronia, he fell in love with her for her piety, wisdom and virtue. Saint Fevronia healed the prince and became his wife. The haughty boyars did not wish to have a princess of common origin and they demanded that Peter leave her. The prince refused and the holy couple were banished. Soon the wrath of God fell upon the city of Murom and the people begged the prince to return together with Fevronia. Known for their kindness and charity, the saints loved each other through all their ordeals and were a model of Christian marriage. Together they took monastic vows and died on the same day, at the same hour, and their bodies were buried in the same grave.

Saint Alban, Protomartyr of England Saint Alban was a Roman soldier who was brought to faith in Christ and baptized by a fugitive priest to whom he gave shelter during a persecution in the third century. With all Christian clergy ordered to be arrested, the saint exchanged clothes with the priest, allowing him to escape and ensuring his own martyrdom. Hearing of a priest living in Alban's home, soldiers arrested him and took him before a judge who learned of the deception and threatened Alban with death unless he returned to paganism. Saint Alban refused and glorified God. He was beaten and tortured and taken to his execution. On the way, a bridge was blocked by a crowd who came to witness the saint's martyrdom. Alban prayed, made the Sign of the Cross over the river and it parted. Witnessing this, his executioner threw down his sword, refused to kill the saint and was beheaded along with the saint. Before his death, Saint Alban asked for a drink and a spring gushed forth from the ground and he drank of it.

Saint John, Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco Born in 1896 in Russia, Saint John Maximovitch was baptized under the patronage of Archangel Michael. A deeply pious child, he influenced his Catholic teacher to become Orthodox. At 11 he went to military school. He was arrested by the Bolsheviks twice before his family fled to Belgrade where he entered seminary. He was tonsured a monk, then ordained deacon, then priest, and taught at a school where he was greatly loved by his students. He led a life of simplicity and asceticism and never slept lying down. Elected bishop and sent to Shanghai, he helped build churches and hospitals and started an orphanage that grew to 3,500 children. When the communists took over China, he helped thousands escape. He served in France for a decade before being sent to San Francisco, where he came under grievous persecution. He reposed in Seattle in 1966. Countless miracles are attributed to Saint John and his body was found to be incorrupt when he was glorified in 1994.