Italy Archives - Saint Sophia

Blessed David of Thessaloniki (+ 26 June)

06/26/2026

~By Metropolitan Agathangelos of Fanari Blessed David was from Northern Mesopotamia, which was a large monastic centre, being born in about 450 A. D. For reasons we don’t know, he came to Thessaloniki together with a monk called Adola. According to their biography, he initially entered the monastery of the Martyr Saints Theodora and Mercurius, which was known as the “Koukouliates”, the location of which was defined as being “in the northern part of the

The Life of St. Bartholomew

06/11/2026

The Life of St. Bartholomew BARTHOLOMEW, a Galilean, was one of the twelve apostles. His name is most probably not a given name, but a family name. He is listed among the twelve apostles in the three synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke. He also appears as one of the witnesses of the Ascension (Acts 1:4, 12, 13). He is generally supposed to be the same person as Nathanael. In the synoptic gospels, Philip and

Memory of Saint Timothy the Apostle

01/22/2026

The Church commemorates Saint Timothy the Apostle. Saint Timothy was a faithful disciple of Saint Paul the Apostle and is addressed as the recipient of the First and Second Epistles to Timothy. These two books are a group of three books of the canonical New Testament, which are called pastoral epistles, because they addressed not to Christian communities but to spiritual shepherds-bishops with pastoral oversight of local churches, such as Timothy, who shepherded with ardor

Feast of the Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas

06/11/2025

Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve The Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it fell by lot to the holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip (November 14) to preach the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. In their preaching they wandered through various cities, and then met up again. Accompanying the holy Apostle

The First (Bright) Friday of Pascha. St. Mark the Apostle, the Founder of the Coptic Church

04/25/2025

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! The Coptic Church or the Church of Alexandria is called “Sees of St. Mark”; one of the earliest four sees: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome. St. Mark, The Founder The Copts are proud of the apostolicity of their Church, whose founder is St. Mark; one of the seventy Apostles (Mk 10:10), and one of the four Evangelists. He is regarded by the Coptic hierarchy as the first of their unbroken

Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke

10/18/2024

Saint Luke came from the city of Antioch, probably of a pagan family. From his youth he applied himself to seek after wisdom and to study the arts and sciences. He traveled all over the world to quench his thirst for knowledge, and had particular skill as a physician and in painting. The Gospel he wrote shows his excellent command of Greek; he also knew Hebrew and Aramaic. There is a tradition that Luke was

Saint Maximus the Greek

01/21/2024

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on January 21, 2022 Georgios Martzelos St Maximos the Greek was one of the most distinguished monks and theologians of the 16th century, famed for his missionary activities and reforming achievements in the Russia of his time. He was born in Arta in around 1470 of respected and prosperous parents, and his name in the world was Mikhail Trivolis. At an early age he went to study in Italy, at major centres of the

The Twenty-Second Day of Christmas Advent: Saint Nicholas, the Saint of the Seas

12/06/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on December 6, 2021 Alexandros Christodoulou Saint Nicholas was born at the south-east corner of Asia Minor, in the town of Patara, in the 3rd century (at the time of the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian) of devout and rich parents, who had been childless for many years. From an early age it appears that God had destined him for a life of sanctity and of dedication to Himself. The fact he became a

The Twentieth Day of Christmas Advent: Barbara the Great Martyr and John the Righteous of Damascus

12/04/2023

Reading Saint Barbara was from Heliopolis of Phoenicia and lived during the reign of Maximian. She was the daughter of a certain idolater named Dioscorus. When Barbara came of age, she was enlightened in her pure heart and secretly believed in the Holy Trinity. About this time Dioscorus began building a bath-house; before it was finished he was required to go away to attend to certain matters, and in his absence Barbara directed the workmen

Great Martyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia

07/17/2023

Commemorated on July 17 The Holy Great Martyr Marina was born in Asia Minor, in the city of Antioch of Pisidia (southern Asia Minor), into the family of a pagan priest. In infancy she lost her mother, and her father gave her into the care of a nursemaid, who raised Marina in the Orthodox Faith. Upon learning that his daughter had become a Christian, the father angrily disowned her. During the time of the persecution against

Archive

Blessed David of Thessaloniki (+ 26 June)

The Life of St. Bartholomew

Memory of Saint Timothy the Apostle

Feast of the Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas

The First (Bright) Friday of Pascha. St. Mark the Apostle, the Founder of the Coptic Church

Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke

Saint Maximus the Greek

The Twenty-Second Day of Christmas Advent: Saint Nicholas, the Saint of the Seas

The Twentieth Day of Christmas Advent: Barbara the Great Martyr and John the Righteous of Damascus

Great Martyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia

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