February 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Day in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar
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February 23 in Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendars is a feast day and a day of commemoration of saints and martyrs. Although some Orthodox churches use the Revised Julian Calendar and others use the traditional Julian calendar, the fixed commemorations for their respective February 23 are broadly the same, no matter which calendar is used.[b]
| February 22 | February 23 | February 24 |
| February 23 O.S. ≍ March 8 (or March 7[a]) N.S. February 23 N.S ≍ February 10 O.S. | ||
Saints
- Hieromartyr Polycarp of Smyrna, Bishop of Smyrna (167)[1][2][3][4][c]
- Holy 73 Martyrs of Sirmium, under Diocletian (303)[5][d]
- Martyr Clement, by the sword.[3][7]
- Martyr Thea, by the sword.[3][8]
- Venerable Gorgonia the Righteous (370), sister of St. Gregory the Theologian.[1][3][9][10][e]
- Saint Alexander, founder of the Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones, Constantinople (430)[1][11][12][13] (see also: January 15, July 3)
- Saints John,[14] Antioch, Antoninus,[15] Moses,[3][16][17] Zebinas,[18] Polychronius,[19] Moses (another),[20] and Damian,[3][21][22] ascetics near Cyrrhus in the Syrian desert (5th century)[1][23][f]
Pre-Schism Western saints
- Saint Martha, a virgin-martyr beheaded in Astorga in Spain under Decius (251)[24][25][g]
- Saint Polycarp, a priest in Rome noted for ministering to those in prison for their faith (c. 300)[24][h]
- Saint Serenus the Gardener, martyr (307)
- Saint Romana (Romina), a virgin born in Rome who reposed at the age of eighteen while living as an anchoress in a cave on the banks of the Tiber in Italy (324)[24][i].[26][27]
- Saints Syncrotas, Antigonus, Rutilus, Libius, Senerotas and Rogatianus, martyrs at Sirmium in Pannonia (4th century)[24]
- Saint Florentius of Seville, Confessor, a saint much venerated in Seville in Spain (c. 485)[6][24]
- Saint Felix of Brescia, twentieth Bishop of Brescia (c. 650)[6][24][j]
- Saint Jurmin, an East Anglian prince, son or nephew of King Anna of East Anglia (653)[24][28][k]
- Saint Boswell (Boisil), Abbot of Melrose Abbey in Scotland (c. 661)[24][29][l] (see also: February 24)
- Saint Mildburga (Milburgh), Abbess of Wenlock Priory (715)[6][11][24][28][30][m]
- Saint Medrald (Mérald, Méraut), a monk at Saint-Evroult (Ebrulfus) of Ouche in France, who later became Abbot of Vendôme (c. 850)[24]
- Saint Willigis, Archbishop of Mainz (1011)[24][n]
- Peter Damian, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor (d. 1072).
- Saint John Theristes ("the Harvester") of Stylos in Calabria (d. 1129)[1][11][31][o][p] (see also: February 24 )
Post-Schism Orthodox saints
- Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou Monastery, on Mount Athos (1280)[1][11][35][36]
- Saint Cosmas of Zograf Monastery, Mount Athos (1281)[1][11]
- Saint Moses of White Lake Monastery, monk (1480)[1][11][37]
- New Monk-martyr Damian of Philotheou and Kissavos, at Larissa (1586)[1][3][11][38]
- New Hieromartyr Lazarus of the Peloponnese (c. 1618)[1][11]
- Venerable Polycarp of Bryansk, monk of Bryansk (1620-1621)[1][39][q]
- Saint Nazarius, Abbot of Valaam Monastery (1809)[1][11]
- Saint Seraphim (Zenobius), Schema-Metropolitan of Tetritskaro, Georgia, monk of Glinsk Monastery (1985)[1]
New martyrs and confessors
- New Hieromartyr Paul Kushnikov, Priest (1918)[40][41][42]
- New Hieromartyr Michael Edlinsky, Archpriest, of Kiev (1937)[1][r] (see also: November 17)
- New Hieromartyr Alexis Nikolsky, Priest (1938)[11][13]
- New Hieromartyr Nicholas Dimitrov, Priest (1938)[11][13]
- New Hieromartyr Michael Razhkin, Priest (1938)[13]
- Martyr Sergius Borodavkin (1938)[11][13]
- New Hieromartyr Sergius (Bukashkin), Hieromonk, of Novo-Alexandrovka, Moscow (1938)[1]
- New Hieromartyr Antipas (Kyrillov), hieromonk, of Tatarintsevo, Moscow (1938)[1]
- New Hieromartyr Philaret (Pryakhin), Abbot, of Trubino, Tver (1942)[1]
Other commemorations
- Repose of Archimandrite Agapit (Belovidov) of Optina Monastery (1922)[1]
- Repose of Elder Sabbas (Stavrobouniotes) of Cyprus (1985)[1]
- Finding of the relics (1998) of Blessed Matrona of Moscow (1952)[13][s] (see also: May 2 - Feast day)
Icon gallery
Hieromartyr Polycarp of Smyrna.
St. Gorgonia.
Boisil greets Cuthbert at Melrose Abbey.
St. Mildburga's Priory, Much Wenlock.
St. Matrona the Blind, the Righteous Wonderworker of Moscow.
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Notes
- in a leap year
- Despite the dates being the same, the days to which they refer typically differ by 13 days. The notation Old Style or O.S. is sometimes used to indicate a date in the traditional Julian Calendar (the "Old Calendar"). The notation New Style or N.S. indicates a date in the Revised Julian calendar (the "New Calendar").
- "At Sirmium, St. Sirenus, monk and martyr. By order of the emperor Maximian, he was arrested and beheaded, for confessing that he was a Christian. In the same place, the birthday of seventy-two holy martyrs, who ended the combat of martyrdom in that city, and took possession of the everlasting kingdom."[6]
- Gregory the Theologian eulogized Saint Gorgonia as "The Diamond of Her Sex".
- "In the city of Astorga, St. Martha, virgin and martyr, under the emperor Decius, and the proconsul Paternus."[6] Her relics are enshrined at Ribas de Sil and Ters.
- He was bishop for over forty years during which time he was occupied in fighting Arianism and other heresies.
- His relics were enshrined at Bury St Edmunds in England.
- Saints Cuthbert and Egbert were among his monks. Both admired him greatly, as did St Bede. His favourite reading was the Gospel of St John.
- The elder sister of St Mildred of Minster-in-Thanet in England, and the second Abbess of Wenlock. Archbishop Theodore consecrated her as a nun. She had the gift of miracles and healing of the blind and lepers, as well as power over birds and the natural world.
- The son of a wheelwright, he became a priest at Hildesheim in Germany. Two years later he became Archbishop of Mainz. Although a statesman, Willigis was first and foremost a churchman and always remained humble and charitable to others.
- Of Calabrian parentage, he was born in Sicily, where his mother had been taken as a slave by the Saracens. He managed to escape to Calabria while still a child and there became a monk. Theristos, meaning harvester, refers to a miraculous harvest reaped by the saint.[32]
In December 1994, the Regional Council of Calabria unanimously declared the Byzantine area located between the rivers Stilaro and Aces sacred, in order to allow for the re-establishment of Orthodox monasticism. Thus the Monastery of San Giovanni Theristis was founded. On 24 February 1995, the City of Bivongi officially handed over the Monastery to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy, thus contributing to the restoration of the ancient ties made between monasticism on Athos and Italo-Greek monasticism. From 1994 until mid-2008 Greek-Orthodox monks from Mount Athos, Greece were living in the monastery praying, studying and working. In July 2008, the city council took the monastery from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Currently the monks residing there are of the Patriarchate of Romania.[33] - See: (in Russian) Поликарп Брянский. Википедии. (Russian Wikipedia).
- See: (in Ukrainian) Едлінський Михайло. Вікіпедії. (Ukrainian Wikipedia).