Saint Katherine of the Sinai Monastery in Heraklion, Crete

The Monastery of Saint Katherine of Sinai, to the northeast of Saint Minas, was formerly a dependency of the Monastery of Mount Sinai, which bestowed the church to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Minas in 1924.

The Monastery of Saint Katherine was founded around the 10th century and the building preserved today was its main church (katholikon). The church was built in the 16th century and is obviously influenced by Venetian architecture.

The Monastery of St Katherine had an income sufficient to support a large monastic community. In the period between 1550 and 1640, the School of St Katherine of Sinai became a school of university learning, teaching Ancient Greek authors, Philosophy, Theology, Rhetoric and Art. Many graduates of the school distinguished themselves in Greek literature.

After the fall of Heraklion to the Turks in 1669, the church was converted into the Zulfikar Ali Pasha Mosque. It remained a mosque until the last Muslims left Heraklion in 1922, at the exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey.

From 1967 to the present, the church of Saint Katherine has housed an important exhibition of Byzantine icons and religious objects including manuscripts, vestments, and wall paintings, representing six centuries of Orthodox history (14th-19th century).

The atmospheric church is also home to six unique works by the famous icon-painter Michael Damaskinos, a major exponent of the Cretan School.

A service is held in the church every year on 25 November, the feast of St Katherine. The exhibition is open daily from 9.30 to 15.30, with an entry ticket.

Read more here.


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Panagia Odigitria of Kimolos

The magnificent and imposing Metropolitan Church of Panagia Odigitria was erected between 1867 and 1874 through the personal work of the people of the island of Kimolos who, without pay, worked zealously for seven years.

Among the numerous old and beautiful icons, the most cherished is the icon of Panagia Odigitria which dates to the Paleologan era (15th century) and possibly came from either Constantinople or Thessaloniki.

The artistic wealth of Panagia Odigitria Church is impressive and in order for a visitor to really appreciate it, one must devote ample time.

Panagia Odigitria is celebrated annually on November 21st for the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos Into the Temple.


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Saint Katherine the Great Martyr and All-Wise

St. Katherine of Alexandria [Feast Day - November 24 (Slavic) or November 25 (Greek)]

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Katherine was the daughter of King Constus. After the death of her father, she lived with her mother in Alexandria. Her mother was secretly a Christian who, through her spiritual father, brought Katherine to the Christian Faith.

In a vision, St. Katherine received a ring from the Lord Jesus Himself as a sign of her betrothal to Him. This ring remains on her finger even today.

Katherine was greatly gifted by God and was well educated in Greek philosophy, medicine, rhetoric and logic. In addition to that, she was of unusual physical beauty.

When the iniquitous Emperor Maxentius offered sacrifices to the idols and ordered others to do the same, Katherine boldly confronted the emperor and denounced his idolatrous errors. The emperor, seeing that she was greater than he in wisdom and knowledge, summoned fifty of his wisest men to debate with her on matters of faith and to put her to shame. Catherine outwitted and shamed them. In a rage, the emperor ordered all fifty of those men burned. By St. Katherine's prayers, all fifty confessed the name of Christ and declared themselves Christians before their execution.

After Katherine had been put in prison, she converted the emperor's commander, Porphyrius, and two hundred soldiers to the true Faith, as well as Empress Augusta-Vasilissa herself. They all suffered for Christ.

During the torture of St. Katherine, an angel of God came to her and destroyed the wheel on which the holy virgin was being tortured. Afterward, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself appeared to her and comforted her.

After many tortures, Katherine was beheaded at the age of eighteen, on November 24, 310. Milk, instead of blood, flowed from her body. Her miracle-working relics repose on Mount Sinai.


HYMN OF PRAISE: The Holy Great-Martyr Katherine

The wise Katherine, an earthly princess,
Became a martyr for Christ the Savior.
Foolish Maxentius offered her life:
If she would consent to become his wife!
The holy Katherine, pure as gold,
Replied to the emperor thus:
"My betrothed is the Risen Christ,
And I desire not the love of a corrupt man.
You seek my body: the rotten seeks corruption,
Even as the incorrupt spirit seeks immortality.
The physical covering must wither away,
The true man takes care for his immortal soul.
Do what you wish, and torture me -
Burn me in the fire, turn me on a wheel;
I cannot renounce my own soul,
Nor worship any but Christ as God.
Remember, O Emperor, soon you will die,
And worms will erupt from your corpse -
Worms will glorify you, worms will eat you,
A curse will accompany you, and a curse will meet you:
For you dare wage war against Christ, Who is mightier than death.
You stand under the Rock, and He will crush you."
Holy Katherine, Christ's virgin,
You despised the throne for eternal truth's sake;
And thus now reign in the Kingdom without end,
And sing with the angels, in the midst of sweet Paradise.

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the First Tone
Let us praise the most auspicious bride of Christ, the divine Katherine, protectress of Sinai, our aid and our help. For, she brilliantly silenced the eloquence of the impious by the sword of the spirit, and now, crowned as a martyr, she asks great mercy for all.

Kontakion in the Second Tone
O friends of martyrs, now divinely raise up a renewed chorus, praising the all-wise Katherine. For, she proclaimed Christ in the arena, trampled on the serpent, and spat upon the knowledge of the orators.

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St. Peter of Alexandria Never Sat On His Patriarchal Throne

It is said of St. Peter of Alexandria (Nov. 24) that he never climbed the steps and sat on the patriarchal throne in church, but rather stood or sat before the steps of the throne. When the faithful complained that their hierarch did not sit in his place, he replied: "Whenever I approach the throne, I see a heavenly light and power upon it, and that is why I do not dare climb and sit on it."

- St. Nikolai Velimirovich

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PJ Harvey and St. Catherine Chapel In Abbotsbury

One of my favorite female musical artists, PJ Harvey, visited St Catherine's Chapel in Abbotsbury, England (she grew up and lived nearby) which has a wonderful acoustic quality and sang there. The chapel is situated on a hill, as are most chapels to St. Catherine (Katherine) in the West, probably in reference to her shrine on Mount Sinai. It dates to the 13th or 14th century, but it is probably built on an earlier Christian church, which was probably built over pagan ruins. Her album Is This Desire? (EMI 1998) has a track "The Wind", inspired by her thoughts about the lonely, forgotten Saint - the chapel no longer functions and St. Catherine was abandoned and removed by the Catholic Church from its list of Saints in the 1960's. The song ends in a prayer for a husband for St Catherine to appease her loneliness, a touching reversal of the usual invocation of unmarried girls praying there for a husband. Read about the chapel here and see the video below, which transposes the ancient city of Alexandria with modern New York City.



The lyrics are:

Catherine liked high places,
High up on the hills
A place for making noises
Like whales
Noises like the whales
Here she built a chapel
Her image on the wall
A place where she could rest
A place where she could wash
and listen to the wind blow

She dreamt of childrens' voices
And torture on the wheel
Patron saint of nothing
A woman of the hills
She once was a lady
Of pleasure and high-born
A lady of the city
But now she sits and moans
And listens to the wind blow
I see her in her chapel
High up on the hill
She must be so lonely
Oh Mother, can't we give
A husband to our Catherine
A handsome one, a dear
A rich one for the lady
Someone to listen with

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Thank God or Science?

Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving today, a long-standing tradition going back to the earliest European settlers in North America, the Pilgrims. Up until recently, the tradition included giving thanks to God. Now, the trend is to thank one another. The NASA Director put out a thanksgiving message Wednesday basically thanking all the NASA employees for their hard work over the past year. Are we supposed to thank ourselves on Thanksgiving? Live Science put together a list of “10 Science Discoveries to be Thankful for.” Should you be thanking God, or your local scientist?

There is no question that science has brought us many blessings, as their list shows: vaccines, understanding of the causes of disease, the Hubble Space Telescope, and more (although their inclusion of SETI at #9 is bizarre, since there have been no results). We can certainly thank scientists for these and many other discoveries. But do scientists work in a vacuum, issuing their good things out of themselves? Or are they dependent on other sources? If you thank a scientist, who is he or she to thank?

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Orthodox Christians and Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims who came to America in 1620, brave as they were, were religious sectarians who wanted nothing to do with the Papal Church or Church of England. They arrived in what they considered the "Promised Land" for the sake of their free religious expression where they could live the Gospel in what they considered its purest form. Stripped from all the traditions of Christian Europe, they abandoned even celebrations such as Christmas, since the date of Christ's birth was not in the Bible. Unbeknown to them however, a feast between them and Native American tribes, whom they relied on for survival, has come down as probably America's most popular tradition.

Of course, Thanksgiving as we know it today did not originate with the Pilgrims, though their feast is the model for it. This is one of the mythologies surrounding Thanksgiving. Another myth of Thanksgiving is that it is traditional for Americans to have a feast on days proclaimed by U.S. Presidents as days of Thanksgiving. In fact, Thanksgiving in early America called for a day of prayer and fasting, not family gathering, football watching and feasting on turkey and all the other good stuff. Read more here, here and here.

Orthodox Christians in America are in a unique position regarding the celebration of Thanksgiving, which is our patriotic duty. Thanksgiving is no longer a time of fasting, but of feasting with family and friends (something which began to take shape after the Civil War in the 19th century and the Lincoln proclamation). For those who follow the New Calendar especially, the giant feast associated with Thanksgiving coincides with a period of 40-day fasting prior to Christmas, though it sometimes falls within the Old Calendar fasting period as well (when fasting begins on November 28th). Generally, however, a dispensation is granted by local bishops and priests to allow the Orthodox faithful to participate in this traditional American holiday as a harvest festival, a time for families to come together and celebrate, and to offer thanks to God for all He grants to us both individually, as a family and as a country. The Advent season is usually a lenient fasting time also, so such "economia" should not be looked upon as a big deal (see here). Ideally it is recommended for Orthodox to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on Thanksgiving morning prior to feasting, since the Eucharist is the ultimate offering of thanksgiving to God.

Below are a few helpful articles written by Orthodox Christians regarding the holiday of Thanksgiving:

Dispelling Confusion About Fasting During Thanksgiving

What is So Orthodox at Thanksgiving?

A Meal of Unity: Christian Reflections on Thanksgiving Dinner

Encyclical of Archbishop Demetrios For Thanksgiving Day 2010

The Final Divine Liturgy of Fr. Alexander Schmemann

Akathist of Thanksgiving

A Happy Thanksgiving to all!

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The Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa in Amorgos

It is the most bright ornament and the patron of Amorgos. This monastery, which is dedicated to the Panagia, is built on the steepest rock of the Prophet Elias mountain, 300 metres above sea level, south of Chora (the capital). It brings feelings of awe when one beholds it and one wonders how these people using primitive tools managed to build this architectural masterpiece that decorates the beautiful island of Amorgos.

According to tradition, this monastery dates from the 9th century and was built by Palestinian monks from Chozeba Monastery (hence the name Hozoviotissa, or "of Chozeba"). These monks had brought the icon to preserve it against the invasions of foreign enemies. In 1088 the emperor Alexios Komninos enlarged the monastery considerably.

Crowds of people from all over the world visit the island to marvel at the Monastery's unparalelled beauty. Every year at the celebration of the Entrance of the Theotokos Into the Temple on the 21st of November, there is a big festival and food and sweets are offered to visitors made by both the men and women of the island.

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Communique From the Assembly of Serbian Bishops (November 17-20, 2010)

The second regular meeting of the Holy Assembly of Bishops was held between November 17-20, 2010 at the Patriarchate in Belgrade under the presidency of His Holiness Patriarch Irinej. All diocesan bishops took part in the work of the Assembly, with the exception of the head of the autonomous Archbishopric of Ohrid, His Beatitude Jovan and Bishop Konstantin of Central Europe.

The work of the Holy Assembly of Bishops began with the conciliar serving of the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy at the Monastery of the Holy Archangels in Rakovica near Belgrade, at which Patriarch Irinej officiated, A parastos was served afterward for the repose of the soul of Patriarch Pavle of blessed memory on the occasion of the one year anniversary since his falling asleep, the cross was blessed at his grave site and the invocation of the Holy Spirit for a blessed and God-pleasing Assembly session took place. Afterward, in his introductory comments His Holiness, as the president of the Assembly, evoked memories once again of the person and spiritual merits of his predecessor Patriarch Pavle of blessed memory as well as the newly departed Metropolitan Christopher of Libertyville-Chicago, and indicated the need of a dignified and responsible approach to the issues on the agenda of the Assembly through brotherly dialogue in the spirit of the spiritual maxims of Patriarch Pavle that our words be mild and our proofs strong.

Before beginning with its work, the Assembly reacted to the news of the capture of the Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skoplje Jovan at the border in Kalotin between Bulgaria and Serbia by Bulgarian border police, and his detention on the basis of a warrant for his arrest issued by Macedonian police. The Assembly reacted first through their prayer to God for their brother in distress, then with a public protest for the unjust persecution of Archbishop Jovan following the legal farce against him in the Republic of Macedonia, and finally an Assembly appeal for his release to both the head of Serbia as well as the president of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Georgi Parvanov.

On the agenda at this Assembly were two major issues and a few smaller ones. The two major issues were regarding the restructuring and filling of vacancies in some of the dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and solving the situation in the Diocese of Ras and Prizren which is burdened with many troubles. Added to these are the uncanonical actions of the former Bishop of Ras and Prizren Artemije and of his sect made up of his followers and supporters, which culminated during the meeting of the Assembly when he arbitrarily left Monastery Sisatovac in Srem, resolutely refusing obedience to the Assembly, explicitly not accepting the decisions of the Assembly and attempting to forcefully take over monasteries and other property of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the usurpation of hierarchical authority in the Diocese of Ras and Prizren.

The vacant diocese of Ras and Prizren was filled with the election of the current Vicar Bishop Teodosije of Lipljana as the new Bishop of Ras and Prizren.

The plan for restructuring the dioceses was completed as much as was possible during this session: parts of the Diocese of Nis, Zica, Sumadija and Branicevo will form a new diocese, of Krusevac headquartered in Krusevac, and it was accepted that the largest diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovci, be broken up into two more dioceses. Also, the bishops active in America were entrusted with the task of examining the possibilities of restructuring the dioceses there, and the issue was raised of forming a separate diocese for Austria, with headquarters in Vienna, taking into consideration the realistic needs and the magnitude and large number of faithful of the current Diocese of Central Europe.

The Assembly received with joy the news of the unanimous decision of the Diocesan council of the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand and the Church-laity assembly of the New Gracanica Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand at their recent extraordinary meeting regarding the establishing of full church-administrative unity.

After learning all the relevant facts and exhaustive discussions, the Holy Hierarchical Assembly, with much sadness, but decisively standing in defense of the holy and salvific unity of the Church, in light of evidence of the most serious canonical transgressions which he himself has confirmed – serving while under suspension, refusing obedience to the Assembly, creating a schism and forcefully occupying some monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Dicoese of Ras and Prizren, even with the participation of armed individuals and physically endangering the monastics in those monasteries – the Assembly has stripped the retired Bishop Artemije of Ras and Prizren of the episcopal dignity and returned him to the status of monk.

The Assembly, among other things, made decisions with regards to the upcoming commemoration of the 1700 Anniversary of the Edict of Milan (313-2013), by which Emperor Constantine the Great granted freedom to the Christians of the Roman Empire and established the foundations of Christian Europe, as well as decisions regarding the establishment of military chaplains in the Serbian Army.

The Assembly appeals to all faithful of the Serbian Orthodox Church that, in spite of the difficult economic crisis which is affecting us, we continue to help the renovation of the monastic dwelling of Monastery Hilandar on Mount Athos, destroyed in a fire a few years ago, as well as the renovation of homes and other buildings in Kraljevo and the surrounding areas, destroyed or damaged during the recent earthquake.

Related article:

The Serbian Orthodox Church has preserved unity - Television of Serbia

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8th Century Church In Turkey Put Up For Sale

The church is dedicated to the Archangels and is one of the three oldest churches in the area. It was built some time between 780 and 797 during the reign of Constantine Porphyrogennetos.

November 23, 2010
PanARMENIAN.Net

One of the most ancient Christian churches in the world is offered for sale in Turkey.

The Turkish authorities have not allowed businessman Meta Yalcin from Istanbul to renovate the church constructed in 780-797. Thus, the businessman, who had bought the church 10 years ago, decided to sell it, CNN-Turk reported.

The head of Kumkoy rural administration, where the church is located, expressed desire to buy the church, saying, however, that the price asked for it is too high.

“The church is offered for sale for 400,000 Turkish liras (around $285,000), what is too much. If the church is sold for 200,000 Turkish liras (around $142,000), we will buy it,” said head of Kumkoy rural administration Razim Batmaz.

Hundreds of tourists annually visit Kumkoy village of Bursa province to see the church, which has been transferred into ruins.

Hürriyet Video'larını izlemek için Flash 7 veya daha yüksek eklenti yüklenmeniz gerekmektedir. Yüklemek için tıklayınız!!!

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The Awesomeness of the Human Brain

Elizabeth Armstrong Moore
November 17, 2010
CNET

The human brain is truly awesome.

A typical, healthy one houses some 200 billion nerve cells, which are connected to one another via hundreds of trillions of synapses. Each synapse functions like a microprocessor, and tens of thousands of them can connect a single neuron to other nerve cells. In the cerebral cortex alone, there are roughly 125 trillion synapses, which is about how many stars fill 1,500 Milky Way galaxies.

These synapses are, of course, so tiny (less than a thousandth of a millimeter in diameter) that humans haven't been able to see with great clarity what exactly they do and how, beyond knowing that their numbers vary over time. That is until now.

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have spent the past few years engineering a new imaging model, which they call array tomography, in conjunction with novel computational software, to stitch together image slices into a three-dimensional image that can be rotated, penetrated and navigated. Their work appears in the journal Neuron this week.

To test their model, the team took tissue samples from a mouse whose brain had been bioengineered to make larger neurons in the cerebral cortex express a fluorescent protein (found in jellyfish), making them glow yellow-green. Because of this glow, the researchers were able to see synapses against the background of neurons.

They found that the brain's complexity is beyond anything they'd imagined, almost to the point of being beyond belief, says Stephen Smith, a professor of molecular and cellular physiology and senior author of the paper describing the study:

"One synapse, by itself, is more like a microprocessor--with both memory-storage and information-processing elements--than a mere on/off switch. In fact, one synapse may contain on the order of 1,000 molecular-scale switches. A single human brain has more switches than all the computers and routers and Internet connections on Earth."

Smith adds that this gives us a glimpse into brain tissue at a level of detail never before attained: "The entire anatomical context of the synapses is preserved. You know right where each one is, and what kind it is."

While the study was set up to demonstrate array tomography's potential in neuroscience (which is starting to resemble astronomy), the team was surprised to find that a class of synapses that have been considered identical to one another actually contain certain distinctions. They hope to use their imaging model to learn more about those distinctions, identifying which are gained or lost during learning, after experiences such as trauma, or in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's.

In the meantime, Smith and Micheva are starting a company that is gathering funding for future work, and Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing has obtained a U.S. patent on array tomography and filed for a second.

This four-minute video explores the pial (outer) surface of a mouse's cortex through all six layers and subcortical white matter to the adjoining striatum:

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Christ In An American Prison

This icon of Saint Anthony is the work of an American monastic named Anthony. The unique situation of Anthony is that he does not live in a monastery, but in a Maximum Security Prison in Colorado.

Anthony has never entered an Orthodox church, nor has he attended "live" a liturgy or any other service; he has only seen a liturgy that was video recorded. The same situation exists for the other Orthodox Christians held in Maximum Security, such as the monk Matthew, and the majority of lay people like Loukas and George. This is because they became Orthodox after a personal search while in prison. The Orthodox in the Penitentiary do not recognize each other, since in this prison the detainees go into the courtyard individually, and do not meet each other as they are completely isolated. But they can mail letters to the "outside world", in compliance to certain conditions of course, such as the contents of the letters being checked. Our brothers understand Orthodoxy much more than one would expect. Another detainee, David, makes beautiful woolen prayer ropes, and has sent them to many Christians in various parts of the world.

The Orthodox of this Maximum Security Prison are the fruit of the grace of God through the missionary activity of a remarkable priest, Fr. Stephan Powley, who for years served there (he is now Chaplain of the prison).

Fr. Stephan, a former Evangelical Protestant, was ordained in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese in the USA (under the Patriarchate of Antioch). He has been a prison Chaplain since January 1985 and has served in every security level from minimum to maximum. He is a priest in the Antiochian Archdiocese and serves the Orthodox Churches of Southern Colorado as needed. He is married to Ashley and they have four children who are all attending different universities.

Fr. Stephan offers weekly stories to "uplift and provoke thought" which can be read at this website: http://www.ocpm-scoba.org/upwardglance.html


Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Patriarch Theophilus Disputes U.S. Report On Religious Freedom In Jordan

November 23, 2010
Jordan Times

Religious freedom and coexistence in Jordan set an example of tolerance in the region and the world, Muslim and Christian leaders said on Monday in response to a US State Department report on religious freedoms issued last week.

The report claimed that "while relations between Muslims and Christians generally were good, adherents of unrecognised religions and Muslims who converted to other religions faced societal discrimination and the threat of mental and physical abuse".

"The government continued to harass some citizens and resident foreign groups suspected of proselytising Muslims and a few Muslim converts to Christianity, including by attempting to induce them to revert to Islam," the document added, "but the intensity of the harassment declined during the reporting period".

Father Nabil Haddad, head of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Centre, said in remarks to The Jordan Times yesterday that although the report highlighted efforts made by the government to establish coexistence and tolerance in the country and encourage dialogue between different religious groups at the international level, it cited individual cases that should not have been used to build a judgement concerning coexistence between Muslims and Christians in the Kingdom.

According to the report’s authors, Jordan’s application of Sharia (Islamic law) “infringes upon the religious rights and freedoms laid out in the Constitution by prohibiting conversion from Islam and discriminating against religious minorities in some matters relating to family law”.

In response, Father Haddad argued that discrimination on religious grounds does not exist in the country, where both Muslims and Christians share the same rights and responsibilities under the Constitution.

“We have never had any difficulties in setting up churches or religious schools to teach our congregation the rituals of Christianity,” the Christian leader said.

An Islamic cleric and politician agreed.

“Muslims and Christians constitute an integral component of the Jordanian fabric. We are one people and we have never had any problems with coexistence,” said Hamzah Mansour, secretary general of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan.

“We in the IAF and the Muslim Brotherhood have strong ties with our Christian brothers. We see ourselves as representatives and defenders of the interests of all Jordanians regardless of their religious affiliations,” Mansour told The Jordan Times yesterday.

The report acknowledged that neither the Constitution, the Penal Code, nor civil law bans conversion from Islam or efforts to proselytise Muslims, but said the government prohibits conversion from Islam in that it accords primacy to Islamic law, which governs Muslims’ personal status and prohibits them from converting.

Religious leaders argued, however, that resistance to foreign missionary activity in the Kingdom is in fact something on which Jordanian Muslims and Christians agree.

“Any group who comes from outside the country to tamper with the country’s faith will be resisted by Christians even before Muslims. Such acts have been rejected by Christian denominations in Jordan in the past,” Mansour noted.

Father Haddad agreed, adding: “There is a unified stance by all leaders of recognised churches in Jordan regarding missionary groups. We reject any missionary activity by foreign groups.”

See also: Patriarch: Jordan, Model For Religious Coexistence

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The 11th Century Church of Panagia Kapnikarea in Athens

The Church of Kapnikarea is a small Roman church in the heart of Athens, on Ermou Street. It is dedicated to the Entrance of the Theotokos Into the Temple and is celebrated annually on November 21st. It belongs to the University of Athens, for which it is sometimes called the "Holy University Church".

The Panagia Church is built on the ruins of an ancient temple, dedicated to a female goddess, possibly Athena or Demeter. It was founded at the beginning of the 11th century (around 1050 A.D.) and was probably named after its donor.

The church is cross-in-square, of the complex four-column type, with three apses on the east side and a narthex on the west. A domed chapel dedicated to Aghia Varvara was added to the north side and the exonarthex, with three pitched roofs, was built slightly later in front of both churches. It was originally formed as an open portico but a small porch with two columns was constructed at its south end, possibly in the 12th century, along with the mosaics over the entrance. The walls of the church are built in the typical cloisonne masonry and are decorated with very limited brick, Cufic ornaments. Most of the paintings inside the church are the work of the famous modern Greek artist Photis Kontoglou, signed in 1955.

More can be read here, here and in great detail here.

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Saint Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum

St. Gregory of Agrigentum (Feast Day - November 23)

Saint Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum, was born on the island of Sicily, in the village of Pretorium, not far from the city of Agrigentum, of the pious parents Chariton and Theodota. The infant Gregory was baptized by the bishop of Agrigentum, Pataimonus. At ten years of age the studious boy mastered writing and was able to read, and to sing church hymns. At twelve years of age St Gregory was given to the clergy, and he was put under the spiritual guidance of the archdeacon Donatus. St Gregory spent the next ten years in the Agrigentum church. Then, however, an angel of the Lord appeared to the holy youth, who had a fervent desire to visit Jerusalem, and said that God had blessed his intention.

At Jerusalem St Gregory was presented to Patriarch Macarius (563-574), who retained the pious youth for service in his own cathedral church, ordaining him deacon. The soul of St Gregory thirsted for monastic labors, and the Patriarch gave his blessing, allowing him go to a monastery on the Mount of Olives. After a year St Gregory departed this monastery for a desert Elder, who for four years taught him spiritual wisdom, humility and the principles of monastic life. The ascetic, foreseeing in St Gregory a future great luminary of the Church, gave him a blessing to forsake the solitary life.

Having left the Elder, St Gregory dwelt for a certain time at Jerusalem, and then went to Constantinople, where he was received with love by the brethren of the monastery of the holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus. The ascetic efforts of St Gregory were noticed by Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople (552-565), at whose insistence the saint participated in the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553). At the completion of the Council St Gregory set off for Rome, to venerate the graves of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

During this time the bishop of Agrigentum died. The elder clergy and illustrious citizens of Agrigentum journeyed to Rome with a request for the Pope to determine a successor for their late hierarch from among a list of candidates they were presenting. The Pope, however, declined their proposal through divine inspiration, and instead summoned St Gregory to serve them as bishop.

For a few years St Gregory peacefully guided the flock entrusted to him by God. He was a defender of the down-trodden, a wise preacher, and miraculous healer. As archbishop, St Gregory led the life of an ascetic monk, fervently observing monastic vows. The flock loved their hierarch and trusted in him. But there were also malicious people who had resolved to slander him.

While St Gregory was in church, these vicious people secretly led a bribed harlot into his chambers, and then in front of the crowd which accompanied the bishop to the doors of his house after services, they led her out and accused St Gregory of the deadly sin of fornication. They placed the holy bishop under guard. The people attempted to defend their bishop, but were unsuccessful. At the trial the harlot gave false testimony against St Gregory. Just as she pronounced the words of slander, she went into a fit of frenzied rage. The judges accused the saint of sorcery. St Gregory was sent for judgment to the Roman bishop together with a report about his "crimes."

The Pope, after reading the charges, did not want to see the accused, and gave orders to remand him to prison. The saint endured his humiliation humbly, dwelling in constant prayer. His prayerful effort and wonderworking gifts quickly became known through the city and the surrounding region. Pious Romans began to gather at the prison, whom the imprisoned saint taught about the righteous life, and he implored the Lord to heal the sick.

After two years, a clairvoyant Elder named Mark, who had known St Gregory since youth, came to the Pope. The Elder did not believe the charges and he persuaded the Pope to convene a Council to decide Gregory's case. At the invitation of the Pope, many clergy from the city of Agrigentum came to the Council, together with all those making accusations against the saint, including the harlot. From Constantinople three bishops and the imperial dignitary Marcian came to Rome. Along the way Marcian had fallen grievously ill. On the advice of many people who had received healing through the prayers of St Gregory, servants carried the dying man to the prison where the wonderworking saint languished. Through the prayers of St Gregory the Lord granted healing to Marcian.

At the Council the slanderers attempted to renew their accusations, and as their chief proof they presented the deranged harlot to the judge, declaring that Gregory had bewitched her. But the saint prayed over her and cast out the devil. The woman came to her senses and told the Council the whole truth. The slanderers were brought to shame and judged. Marcian even wanted to execute them, but St Gregory implored forgiveness for them.

St Gregory returned in honor to his own cathedral, and surrounded by the love of his flock, he guided the Church until his own peaceful demise.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
O God of our Fathers, always act with kindness towards us; take not Your mercy from us, but guide our lives in peace through the prayers of the hierarchs Gregory and Amphilóchios.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
With the Holy Spirit's rays, which shine a great light, doth the Church illuminate the way of them that celebrate thy joyous falling asleep today, O righteous Father, supremely blest Gregory.

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From His Commentary on Ecclesiastes:

"Come, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a glad heart; for what you do, God has approved beforehand" (Ecclesiastes 9:7).

This exhortation of Ecclesiastes is very proper if you take its words in their ordinary everyday sense. If we embrace a simple rule of life and let our beliefs be inspired bu a sincere faith in God, we should eat our bread with joy and drink our wine with a glad heart. We should not fall into slanderous speech or devote ourselves to devious stratagems; rather, we should direct our thoughts on straight paths and (as far as is practicable) help the poor and destitute with compassion and generosity – that is, dedicate ourselves to the activities that please God himself.

But the same text can be given a spiritual meaning that leads us to higher thoughts. It speaks of the heavenly and mystical bread, which has come down from heaven, bringing life to the world, and to drink a spiritual wine with a cheerful heart, that wine which flowed from the side of the True Vine at the moment of his saving passion. Of this, the Gospel of our salvation says: "When Jesus had taken bread and blessed it, he said to his holy disciples and apostles, Take, eat; this is my body which is being broken for you for the forgiveness of sins. In the same way he took the cup and said, Drink from this, all of you: this is my blood, the blood of the new covenant, which will be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins." For whoever eats this bread and drinks this mystical wine enjoys true blessedness and rejoices, exclaiming: You have put joy into our hearts.

Moreover, I think this is the bread and this is the wine that is referred to in the book of Proverbs by God’s self-subsistent Wisdom (that is, Christ our Savior): "Come, eat my bread and drink the wine I have mixed for you." Thus he refers to our mystical sharing in the Word. For those worthy to receive this are forever clothed in garments (that is, the works of light) shining as bright as light itself. As the Lord says in the Gospel, "Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." And, indeed, oil will be seen flowing eternally over their heads – the oil that is the Spirit of truth, guarding and preserving them from all the harm of sin.

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Video: A Conversation With Romanian Elder Petroniu Tanase

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Radio Interview About Fr. Epiphanios Theodoropoulos (Greek)

Polyneikis Theodoropoulos, brother of Fr. Epiphanios, and Metropolitan Seraphim of Peireas speak about Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos

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Poland May Have World’s Largest Jesus Statue

November 23, 2010
STV

Polish locals unveiled what may be the largest Jesus statue in the world. The statue is located in Swiebodzin, Poland. Reverend Sylwester Zawadzki created the statue. The statue stands at 108 feet tall. That is the equivalent of 33 meters. However, others say the statue sits much taller if you count the base. The Jesus statue in Rio de Janeiro is 125 feet tall. The Polish statue could be as high as 167 feet depending on where the measurement is started.

The reverend that came up with the statue chose the height to specifically match the meters with the number of years Christ lived.

However, many seem more interested in gaining notoriety for having the highest statue. The Jesus statue is also wearing a crown, which adds to the height.

However, Reverend Zawadzki is content with the 33 meters of the statue itself. The recently completed statue has attracted tons of tourists to the small community.

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Russian Orthodox Church Okays Use of Condoms

November 23, 2010
Interfax

The Russian Orthodox Church has said the use of condoms is acceptable following a similar statement made by Pope Benedict XVI of the Catholic Church last week.

"The Foundations of the Social Policy of the Russian Orthodox Church distinguishes between abortive and non-abortive contraception. Priests can allow people to use the latter," head of the synodal Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said in an interview with Interfax-Religion.

However, Father Vsevolod added that it does not mean that the Church approves of "any egoistical decisions made by spouses not to have children."

Speaking about the use of condoms by people who are HIV-positive, Fr. Vsevolod called on these people to "seriously think whether they should have sex because infection can spread not only by direct sexual contact."

The British daily The Guardian reported on Monday, citing a statement by the Holy See, that Pope Benedict XVI intends to consider condom use by observant Catholics in certain situations. Excerpts from a collection the Pope's interviews were published earlier, and in one of those interviews the pope said condom use is justified in some situations.

The statement issued by the Vatican states that the pope agrees that condom use reduces the risk of contracting AIDS.

At the same time, the pope's treatment of the topic considers exceptional situations "in which a sexual act presents a true risk for another's life," Vatican Press Office Director Rev. Federico Lombardi said in a statement. "In such a case, the Pope does not morally justify the disordered exercise of sexuality," rather, the use of the condom to lessen the danger of contagion may be "a first act of responsibility" and "a first step on the path toward a more human sexuality" rather than acting to put another's life at risk, Rev. Lombardi said in his statement.

Nevertheless, he said in his statement that the pope's comment neither "reforms nor changes" church teachings, which prohibits observant Catholics from using condoms.

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The Failure of the Word "Tolerance" in Modern Society

November 23, 2010
Interfax

The Head of the Center for Geography of Religions at the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations, Roman Silantyev, urged the public to give up the term tolerance.

"Tolerance is the term which society has been recently trying to fill with a new sense of meaning; but the word failed to comply with expectations in the sense of tolerance to evil and destructive pacifism," he said in Cheboksary at a round table conference Tolerance as Imperative in Dialogue of Civilizations, Cultures and Confessions.

Silantyev said he visited a youth camp this September where a lecture on tolerance was delivered, and participants "trained to use the Internet" told him that they had looked up the word tolerance and found out that it was a medical term meaning a diminution in the physiological response to decease.

Thus, "the most tolerant of us is an AIDS patient who has no immunity to anything at all."

"Tolerance has a Western origin and is a great step forward compared with racial theories, concentration camps and apartheid, but compared with peace among peoples inherent to Russia it is a step backward," Silantyev believes.

According to him, "Europeans have no reason to teach us tolerance, moreover, we should teach them the right patterns of peace among peoples and religions."

"The propaganda of tolerance seems irrelevant while the Western tolerant and multicultural society is in collapse, and even the European leaders refer to the failure of this model," he noted and urged the public to give up this term "as there is no practical benefit in its use."

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On Contemporary Narrow Mindedness in Orthodoxy

By Metropolitan Kallistos Ware of Diokleia

Alas, the element of nationalism, of ethnic narrowness, is a fact that we can see very widely in the contemporary Orthodox Church. And it has of course deep historical roots. It is not only a problem of today.

Phyletism, setting nationalism above Orthodox catholicity, was defined as a heresy by the Church of Constantinople in 1872. We must keep in mind, however, that there is nothing wrong in itself with nationhood and our loyalty to our own particular people. In fact it is good. Patriotism is a noble feeling. But this feeling of national identity that humans have when they lead a balanced, full life, has to undergo metanoia, repentance, a change of mind. It has to be baptized. And very often this repentance, this change of mind, hasn't taken place and we have an untransformed nationalism. So while nationhood is precious and can be a means of grace, we must remember that Christ stands higher than all ethnic differences. "There is no longer Jew or Greek...for you are all one in Christ Jesus," Saint Paul instructs us [Galatians 3:28]. And we have to emphasize that what matters about the Church is its universality, its catholicity. Nationalism can be a servant but it must not be allowed to become master of our heart. And, as we said, there is a negative narrowness in the kind of intense national feelings that one encounters in Greece, and in Russia and also among British people, of course. None of us is without sin.

Actually, I have noticed while visiting Romania that though Romanians are proud of their nation they don't have the hostile, aggressive attitude toward the West and the fear of non-Orthodox churches that I encounter in other Orthodox countries. In Romania I don't hear, or only very occasionally hear, people talking about 'Judeo-Masonic conspiracies' against the Orthodox world. So, in my experience at least, Romanians seem to be more balanced than many other Orthodox in their views about the rest of the world.

But of course we mustn't generalize. In Greece, in Russia, there are also people with a wonderful vision of the universality of Orthodoxy, who value and love their native land, their national tradition, Greek or Russian, but who at the same time are universalists; and this is surely what the Western world needs. Not an Orthodoxy that is ethnic but a Catholic Orthodoxy. Not an Orthodoxy that is always condemning, but an Orthodoxy that is generous, humble, kenotic [self-emptying]. Not compromising, but not attacking the others.

This could be the kairos, the moment of opportunity for Orthodoxy. But we Orthodox are not ready. We are not Orthodox enough.

From Gifts of the Desert: The Forgotten Path of Christian Spirituality, by Kyriacos C. Markides, pp. 165-166.

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Panagia Malteza of Santorini

The miraculous icon of Panagia Malteza is found in the Church of the Entrance of the Theotokos Into the Temple in the village of Imerovigli of Santorini. The icon received its name because it was found in the sea near Malta (the Malteze Virgin).

According to tradition, on a trip from Santorini to Malta while transporting Vin Santo, the captain of a ship, Theodoros Borlis from Imerovigli, found an icon near the island of Malta. Seeing the Panagia in a dream, he took the icon and brought it back to Imerovigli where he built a church in its honor.

The original church was built in the 19th century, but it was destroyed in 1956 following a great earthquake. In its place a new church was built. The church has a marvellous carved iconostasis with icons depicting scenes from the Old Testament. Originally the church had 12 big bells that is said to have been heard 8km away in Oia; the current bell tower only has four. It celebrates its festival annually on November 21st.

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The Holy Virgin-Martyr Cecilia of Rome

St. Cicilia (Kikilia) the Virgin-Martyr (Feast Day - November 22)

By St. Dimitri of Rostov

The holy virgin-martyr Cecilia was born in Rome to honorable and wealthy parents. Hearing the Holy Gospel preached, she believed in Christ and resolved to preserve her virginity for Him, but contrary to her will, her parents betrothed her to a noble youth, an unbeliever named Valerian, and compelled her to array herself at all times in costly apparel and golden ornaments. Beneath her rich garments, however, she wore a rough hair shirt. Her heart burned with love for Christ God, her beloved Bridegroom, and she ever entreated Him with fervor of spirit that He preserve her chastity as He knew best, keeping her free of the entanglement of wedlock. When her wedding day arrived and the sound of piping could already be heard, she sighed from a broken heart and cried unto the Lord, "Let my heart be blameless in Thy statutes, that I may not be put to shame." Weeping bitterly, she besought Him to send an angel to defend her virginity.

After night fell, the newly wed couple was led into their room, and the maiden said to her bridegroom Valerian, "Beloved youth, I have a secret I wish to reveal to you. God’s angel, whom you cannot see, has been given me as guardian of my virginity. If you touch me, he will slay you at once, for he stands here ready to defend me, his handmaiden, from assault."

Hearing this, Valerian was terrified, and with good reason, because an angel had indeed been sent from heaven to preserve Christ’s bride undefiled. Valerian asked the maiden to show him the angel, but she replied, "You do not know the true God and will remain unable to see the Lord’s angel until you are cleansed of the impurity of unbelief."

"And how may I be cleansed of it?" asked Valerian.

Cecilia replied, "There is a man called Bishop Urban who is able to cleanse the impious by Holy Baptism, thus enabling them to see holy angels. If you wish to be washed clean and behold God’s angel, go and relate to him everything I have told you. When he has cleansed you, return, and you shall see the angel and receive whatever you desire of him."

"Where can I find this elder?" asked Valerian.

"Take the Appian Way," replied the maiden, "and when you come upon paupers, say to them, ’Cecilia sent me to you, asking that you take me to the elder Urban. She wishes me to relate a secret to him.’"

Valerian took the Appian Way, as his bride had instructed him, and found paupers who knew Saint Cecilia well, for she often gave them alms. They took him to Bishop Urban, who was hiding from his persecutors in graveyards, caves, and deserted temples. When Valerian told him what the holy virgin had said, the Bishop was filled with joy. Falling to his knees and lifting his hands unto heaven, Urban wept and said, "Verily, 0 Lord, Thy handmaiden is like a labour-loving bee that bringeth nectar to Thy Church! This youth entered her chamber like a lion, but she hath sent him to me a meek lamb. Had he not believed her words, he would never have come here. Wherefore, 0 Lord, open his heart to know Thee and to renounce Satan and his works."

After Urban had prayed thus, a venerable elder appeared, clad in a robe white as snow and holding a book in his hand. The elder stood before Valerian and opened the book for him to read. Overcome by the vision, Valerian fell to the ground. Then the honorable elder raised him up and said, "Read what is written in this book, my son, and you shall be granted cleansing and behold the angel that your bride promised to show you."

Valerian looked at the book and read these words, written in letters of gold, "One Lord, one faith, one Baptism; one God and Father of all, Who is above all and through all and in you all. Amen."

The elder then asked him, "Do you believe, child, that these things are true, or do you still doubt?"

Valerian answered with a mighty voice, "Truly, there is nothing beneath heaven more certain than this confession!"

Immediately, the elder disappeared. Then the blessed Bishop Urban began to instruct Valerian, expounding upon those words. After baptizing him, the Bishop sent the young man back to his holy bride.

Valerian found Cecilia at prayer, and beheld a most radiant angel of ineffable beauty standing beside her. The angel held in his hand two garlands made of red roses and white lilies, from which came a fragrance surpassing description. He placed one garland on the maiden’s head, the other on Valerian’s, and said, "Guard these wreaths by keeping your hearts pure and your bodies undefiled. I have brought them to you from God’s paradise. They never wither, nor do they lose their fragrance, and no one can see them save those who, like you, are lovers of chastity. It is because you have agreed to guard your purity that God has sent me to you, Valerian. He wishes you to have your desire."

Valerian bowed down before the angel and said, "There is no one in the world so dear to me as my brother Tiburtius. Therefore, I entreat the Lord to deliver him from demonic perdition and to convert him as He did me. May He grant us both to attain perfection in the confession of His holy name!"

"Your request is pleasing to God," said the angel, his face radiant, "and He will grant you the desire of your heart. The Lord will save your brother Tiburtius through you, as you were saved through the maiden, and together you shall undergo martyrdom."

After saying this, the angel became invisible. The blessed Valerian and the holy maiden rejoiced in Christ and continued to meet and converse about things profitable to the soul.

Shortly thereafter, Tiburtius came to Valerian and said to him, "I smell the fragrance of roses and lilies here. Where does this wonderful smell come from? I find it so delightful that my soul seems somehow renewed!"

"You can perceive this sweet fragrance, my beloved brother," said Valerian, "because I have prayed to God for you, asking that you be deemed worthy to receive an unfading crown and come to love Him Whose blood is like a red rose and Whose flesh like a white lily."

"Am I dreaming, or are you truly speaking with me, brother?" asked Tiburtius.

Valerian replied, "Until now, we lived as though in a dream, worshipping false gods and unclean demons; but now we walk in the truth and the grace of God."

Tiburtius asked, "Who taught you these things?"

Valerian answered, "It was an angel of God that taught me. You will also see him, if you cleanse yourself of the defilement of idolatry."

Tiburtius wished to see the angel, but Valerian told him it was necessary for him first to believe in the one, true God and to receive Holy Baptism, and that after this he could expect the angel to appear. The holy virgin Cecilia began to instruct Tiburtius in the holy faith, demonstrating to him that the gods of the pagans are false and their lifeless idols impotent, and revealing to him the might of the true God, our Lord Jesus Christ. So powerful was the divinely wise teaching of the holy virgin that Tiburtius straightway turned from unbelief and cried, "I believe there to be no God other than that of the Christians! From this time forth I desire to labor for Him alone."

When she heard this, the maiden was filled with ineffable joy and instructed Tiburtius with even greater zeal, telling him of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of His miracles, Passion, and death, which He endured out of love for the race of man. Hearing her speak of these things, Tiburtius’ heart grew contrite and was set afire with love for the Lord. Sensing the warmth of his faith, the virgin said to him, "If you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, go with your brother to our Christian Bishop and be baptized by him. Then, cleansed of your sins, you will be worthy to behold the angel."

Tiburtius looked at his brother in amazement and asked, "To whom do you wish to take me?"

"Let us go to the man of God, Urban," Valerian replied. "He is the Bishop of the Christians, an old, wise, and righteous man. His face is like that of an angel, and he speaks only the truth."

"Is this the same Urban I have heard was twice condemned to death and now is in hiding, hoping to escape his sentence?" asked Tiburtius. "If we go to him and those who seek him find us with him, they will slay us also."

Cecilia replied to Tiburtius’ words by telling him of the life eternal and unchanging in heaven that awaits those who die as holy martyrs for Christ. Then Tiburtius, burning with divine desire, said, "Let those who have been deprived of their senses love this fleeting life: I desire life eternal! Take me to the Bishop quickly, brother, so that he may cleanse me and make me a partaker of everlasting life."

Valerian took his brother to the blessed Urban and told him everything that had occurred. Urban rejoiced greatly over Tiburtius’ conversion and gladly baptized him, keeping him for seven days to instruct him fully in the mysteries of the holy faith. After his Baptism, Saint Tiburtius was deemed worthy of such grace that he saw holy angels and conversed with them, and received everything he asked of God. He and his brother worked numerous miracles, healing the sick, and distributed their possessions among needy Christians, orphans, and widows. Many were the prisoners whom they ransomed, and they reverently buried a multitude of the holy martyrs who were slain for Christ in those days.

All these things were reported to Almachius, the Eparch of the city, who in obedience to the Emperor’s command was mercilessly shedding the blood of God’s servants, torturing and executing the faithful. The Eparch commanded that Tiburtius and Valerian be seized and brought before him. Almachius asked them, "Why do you dishonor your noble estate and give burial to those who, in accordance with the Emperor’s command, have been put to death for their numerous transgressions? So doing, you have squandered your wealth on outcasts. Can it be that you have fallen into the same error as they?"

As the elder brother, Tiburtius answered, "May God deem us worthy to be counted among His servants, who have renounced that which seems to exist but does not, and have found that which would seem not to exist but does!"

"What do you mean, speaking of what seems to exist but does not?" asked the Eparch. "I do not understand you."

Tiburtius explained to Almachius that everything this transitory world possesses and promises merely appears to be, but in reality is nothing, because it quickly vanishes. But the life to come, which those who love this world imagine does not exist (for they cannot see it), truly exists and abides unchanging unto the ages. At the end of time the good and faithful shall receive a rich reward, but the evil and unbelieving shall inherit eternal fire and torments. The Eparch spoke with the brothers for a long time, and they offered him an explanation of the holy faith and told him the value of renunciation of the world. He did not accept their teaching, however, and demanded that they offer sacrifice to the gods.

Since the saints refused to obey his command, the Eparch ordered that Valerian be beaten mercilessly with a staff, but the saint rejoiced and said, "The time I have awaited has come! Today is my day of rejoicing!"

Meanwhile, a herald cried, "See and beware! Do not show disdain for the gods and goddesses!"

"Citizens of Rome," the holy martyr Valerian addressed the people, "do not let the torments I suffer turn you away from the truth! Make bold to destroy the idols of wood and stone, for all who worship them shall burn in fire eternal!"

Then a senator named Tarquinius came to the Eparch and said to him in secret, "If you do not hasten to put these men to death, the other Christians will give to the poor everything they possess, and nothing will remain for you."

The Eparch therefore ordered that both martyrs be taken to the place called Pagus, near the temple of Jupiter. If they did not consent to offer sacrifice there to Jupiter, the saints were to be beheaded. A chamberlain named Maximus was sent with the executioner and the soldiers to witness the beheading. On the way, he began to weep as he looked upon the holy passionbearers and said, "0 precious blossom of youth! 0 union of brotherly love! 0 comely pair of noble and honorable youths! Why do you voluntarily choose death, hastening as though to a great feast?"

Saint Tiburtius answered, "If we were not certain that eternal life awaits us, we would not rejoice at the thought of losing our lives in this fleeting world."

"What sort of life follows this life?" asked Maximus.

"As our flesh is covered by clothing, so our souls are clad by flesh. After death, the body returns to dust, but in time like a phoenix it will come to life. Moreover, if the soul is holy and righteous, it is straightway translated unto the good things of paradise, there to await the resurrection in joy."

Maximus was moved to compunction by these words and said, "If I knew for certain that I would inherit the life of which you speak, I also would renounce this fleeting life."

Saint Valerian said to the chamberlain, "If you wish to be certain to gain life everlasting, then vow to us that you will sincerely repent, turn away from error, and be converted unto the God Whom we preach; and we promise you that when we are beheaded and depart from the body, God will open your eyes, and you shall behold the glory of the life we inherit."

"May I be consumed by fire if from this hour I do not believe in the one God, Who grants us life eternal after this temporal life," vowed Maximus. "I ask only that you fulfill what you have promised."

"Order your servants not to hinder us from going to your house and remaining there for a short time, and we will attempt to bring to you someone who can enlighten your soul, so that you see clearly that which we have promised you," said the saints.

Maximus joyfully led the martyrs to his home, for none of the soldiers dared contradict his orders. There the saints preached the word of salvation, teaching the members of his household to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. All those present listened attentively until nightfall, and Maximus, his entire household, and many of the soldiers came to believe. That night, the holy virgin Cecilia came to them, accompanied by priests. Everyone who believed was baptized, and passed the night in prayer and conversation about life eternal.

When the morning star appeared, the holy virgin said to Christ’s passionbearers, "Be brave, 0 soldiers of the Lord! Darkness has lifted and dawn has come; put on the garment of light and go forth to complete your contest. You have fought the good fight and finished your course; depart now to receive the crown of righteousness which the Lord shall bestow upon you."

The saints hastened to the place of execution, and as they passed the temple of Jupiter, the priests sought to compel them to offer incense on the god’s altar, for no one was permitted to pass by the temple without sacrificing. All those who entered or left the city were stopped by the priests and led to Jupiter’s altar, but the martyrs refused to obey, and mocked the priests’ foolishness. Because of this, their sacred heads were promptly cut off.

Immediately after the saints’ execution, Maximus swore before everyone present, saying, "I behold God’s angels shining like the sun! They have taken the souls of the martyrs to heaven in great honor, escorting their blessed spirits to a place of repose as though they were fair maidens being led into a bridal chamber." At this, many of the heathen believed in Christ.

The Eparch learned that Maximus had accepted the Christian faith, and commanded that he be beaten mercilessly with rods. While this was being done, the martyr surrendered his soul into the hands of the Lord. His body was taken by the holy virgin Cecilia, who buried it with the remains of the holy martyrs Tiburtius and Valerian. She had the image of a phoenix depicted on Maximus’ tomb since he had come to believe in the resurrection of the dead after hearing it likened to the rising of a phoenix.

Later, the Eparch ordered that a search be made for the possessions of Tiburtius and Valerian. Nothing was found, however, because Saint Cecilia had already distributed everything to the poor. He therefore sent his servants to seize the blessed maiden. When they came to take her away, she said to them, "Hear me, brethren: although you are servants of the Eparch, I do not think you find pleasure in his unbelief. It is my desire to suffer and die for my Christ, and I wish to have no further part in this fleeting existence, because I seek life everlasting. Take me away, so that I may depart unto heaven more quickly! Have no pity for my youth, but deliver me unto death!"

The servants felt compassion for the saint, marvelling at how such a fair, wise, and noble maiden could so desire death. They entreated her not to destroy her beauty by voluntarily accepting torments, so she said to them, "I do not destroy my youthful beauty but exchange it for something better, trading filth for gold, clay for precious stones, and the worldly habitation of the body for the most radiant palaces of heaven. Do you truly suppose this is a poor exchange? If only you would make it also!"

Cecilia spoke for a long time about the reward that awaits the righteous, and everyone who heard her was moved to compunction. Indeed, a great multitude of people, both men and women, had gathered in her house to hear her teaching. The saint then cried out to all with a loud voice, "Do you believe that everything I have told you is true?"

With one voice they replied, "We believe that the Christ Whom you preach and serve is the true God!"

The holy virgin was filled with unutterable joy and at once sent for Bishop Urban, who came to her house and baptized the four hundred men and women who had come to believe. Thus did Cecilia’s house become a church of Christ.

After these things had taken place, the unjust Eparch Almachius had Christ’s righteous handmaiden brought before his judgment seat. He began by questioning her concerning the faith and heard her preach the name of Christ. Then he said to her in a harsh voice, "Where did you acquire such boldness?"

"From a pure conscience and undoubting faith," replied the saint.

"Do you not know, wretch, that the Emperor has given me power to destroy you or to grant you life?" asked the judge.

The saint answered, "You lie when you say that you have power to grant life. You ought to have said only that you have power to put to death, not to give life, for while you can slay, you can give life to no one!"

The judge insisted, "Sacrifice to the gods and renounce Christ, and you will be set free."

But Cecilia declared instead that she was prepared to die for Christ, so the persecutor commanded that she be taken to her home and put to death in an overheated bathhouse. She was tormented by the flames and smoke for three days and nights, but the grace of God cooled and revived her. When Almachius learned that the martyr was still alive after remaining so long in the blazing bath, he ordered that she be beheaded by the sword. The executioner came and struck her neck thrice but failed to sever her head. Leaving her thus, he departed. The faithful gathered up her blood with a sponge and cloth, and the saint remained alive for another three days, speaking plainly and confirming the believers in the faith. Finally, while praying, she delivered her soul into God’s hands and was buried with reverence.

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Further Notes:

A Church was later erected in her name at the place of her martyrdom, in her house in Rome, and her memory was honored in the catacomb of St. Kallistos. Her tomb was discovered in 817, and when it was opened in 1599, her Holy Relics were uncovered—intact and unharmed, in a state of incorruption.

The original Latin text of the martyrdom of St. Cecilia relates that during her wedding, while the melodies of worldly music resounded, the Saint sang hymns of love in her heart to Jesus, her true Bridegroom. Perhaps this is why St. Cecilia is associated with music in the West, where she is considered its Patron Saint.

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To read about the discovery of the relics of St. Cecilia, see here.

The reliquary of the holy martyr at her monastery "Fuori le Mori," "outside the walls" of ancient Rome.

HYMN OF PRAISE: The Holy Martyr Cecilia

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Cecilia-strong in faith, rich in faith -
Her faith is more beautiful than the stars, more precious than gold.
She nailed herself to the Lord, as to the Cross,
And sacrificed youth, joy, marriage and honor for Christ!
The cruel demon could steal nothing from her;
And when only her body remained, she gave it to Christ.
For the love of Christ, she gave the whole world -
Even two worlds: her body and her pure soul.
Thus does the flame of faith burn, and the flame of love,
And by that flame, Cecilia glorified herself.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
In godly wise let us, the hosts of the faithful, sing hymns to her wedded to Christ of her own will, Cecilia, whose pure heart with virtues was adorned; for she wholly put to shame the conceit of Almacius, and she shone bright as the sun amidst them that pursued her and then appeared to those upon the earth as a divine staff that strengthened the holy Faith.

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