Today we commemorate the Life-Giving Fountain of the Most Holy Theotokos. There once was a beautiful church in Constantinople dedicated to the Mother of God, which had been built in the fifth century by the holy Emperor Leo the Great (January 20) in the Seven Towers district. Before becoming…

On Bright Friday we commemorate the Appearance of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Footprint” at Pochaev. In the year 1340, two monks came and settled in a cave on the hill where the monastery is now located. After reading his usual Prayer Rule, one of them went to the top of the hill, and…

Saint Basil, the Elder of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15), was born toward the end of the seventeenth century. He received monastic tonsure at Dalhautsi-Focshani Skete in 1705 or 1706, laboring in asceticism with great fervor. Saint Basil was ordained to the holy priesthood, and became…

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, also known as John Mark (Acts 12:12), was one of the Seventy Apostles, and was also a nephew of Saint Barnabas (June 11). He was born at Jerusalem. The house of his mother Mary adjoined the Garden of Gethsemane. As Church Tradition relates, on the night that…

Venerable Sylvester of Obnora lived in the XIV century and was the contemporary of Saint Alexei, Metropolitan of Moscow, and one of the disciples of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. The long Life of Saint Sylvester has not survived. From his youth he had a great love of solitude. After receiving the…

The Constantinople Icon of the Theotokos is locally venerated at Moscow’s Dormition church on Malaya Dimitrovka. This image is different from the Constantinople Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos celebrated on September 17, although it appears to be a copy of it. The wonderworking…