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| St. Aquila the Deacon of the Kiev Caves (Feast Day - January 4) |
Only a short biography of the Venerable Aquila is known, based on an inscription transcribed in the 17th century from his grave plaque.
Saint Aquila the Deacon of the Kiev Caves lived in the 14th century, and became famous as a great faster, which he loved from childhood, never enjoying a delicious dish. He ate neither boiled nor fried food, and ate vegetables seldom and only in small quantities. Once a week he ate only a single prosphoron.
Those thirsting for deliverance from “the enslavement of the passions of the stomach,” and those wishing to learn temperance turn to Saint Aquila entreating his help (Third Ode of the Canon to the Monks venerated in the Far Caves).
For these feats and fasts, he enjoys eternal sweetness in Heaven with Christ. His sacred relics rest in the Far Caves. He is commemorated on January 4th after his patron, the Apostle Aquila, who is commemorated with the Seventy Apostles of the Lord.
