March 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

March 19 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - March 21

An Eastern Orthodox cross

All fixed commemorations below are observed on April 2 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.^{[note 1]}

For March 20th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on March 7.

Saints

• Righteous Abel, first martyr in the history of mankind.^[1][2]
• Martyrs Photina (Fatima, Svetlana), the Samaritan woman, martyred under Nero (c. 66),^[1][3][4] together with: (see also: February 26 - Greek)

• her sisters Phota, Photis, Parasceva, and Cyriaca (Kyriake);
• her sons Victor (or Photinus) and Joses (Joseph);
• Sebastian the Duke;
• the officer Anatolius; and
• Theoclitus, the former sorcerer.

• Seven Virgin-martyrs of Amisus (Samsun) (c. 303-305):^{[1][5][note 2]}

• Alexandra, Claudia, Euphrasia, Matrona, Juliana, Euphemia, and Theodosia.

• Martyr Akyla the Eparch, by the sword.^[7]
• Martyr Emmanuel, by the sword.^[2][8]
• Martyr Rodian, by the sword.^[2][9]
• Martyr Lollian the Elder.^[2][10]
• Hieromartyr Tadros, Bishop of Edessa, at Jerusalem (691)^[1]
• Martyr Michael the Sabbaite, at Jerusalem (691)^[1]
• Martyr Archil II (Archilios II), king of Georgia (744)^[1] (see also: June 21^[11][12])
• The Venerable Fathers martyred at the Monastery of St. Sabbas (796):^{[1][2][13][14][15][note 3]}

• Saints John, Sergius, Patrick, and others

• Saint Nicetas the Confessor, Bishop of Apollonias in Bithynia (813)^{[1][16][note 4]}

Pre-Schism Western saints

• Saint Urbitius, Bishop of Metz in the east of France (c. 420)^[18]
• Saint Tetricus of Langres, Bishop of Langres and uncle of St Gregory of Tours (572)^[18]
• Saint Martin of Braga in Iberia (580)^[1][18][19]
• Venerable Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Bishop (687)^{[1][18][20][21][22][23][note 5]}
• Saint Herbert of Derwentwater, an Anglo-Saxon priest and friend of St Cuthbert, who lived as a hermit on St Herbert's Island (687)^[1][18]
• Saint Wulfram of Sens, missionary, Bishop of Sens (703)^{[1][24][note 6]}
• Saint Benignus, a monk and Abbot of Fontenelle Abbey (725)^[18]
• Saint Remigius von Straßburg, a noble, became Abbot of Münster near Colmar in France and in 776 Bishop of Strasbourg (783)^{[18][note 7]}
• Saint William of Peñacorada, monk at the monastery of Satagún in León in Spain (c. 1042)^{[2][18][note 8]}

Post-Schism Orthodox saints

• New Hieromartyr Euphrosynus of Blue-Jay Lake, Valaam, Novgorod Republic (1612)^[1][25][26]
• New Martyr Myron of Mega Castro (Heraklion) in Crete (1793)^{[1][27][note 9]}

New martyrs and confessors

• New Hieromartyr Basil Sokolov, Deacon (1938)^[29][30]
• New Hieromartyr Nicholas Holz, priest of Novosiolki, Chełm and Podlasie, Poland (1944)^[1][29]

Icon gallery

• 
  St. Martin of Braga (10th-century manuscript).
• 
  Venerable Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (11th-century fresco).

Notes

1. The notation Old Style or (OS) is sometimes used to indicate a date in the Julian Calendar (which is used by churches on the "Old Calendar").
   The notation New Style or (NS), indicates a date in the Revised Julian calendar (which is used by churches on the "New Calendar").
2. The Holy Virgin Martyrs Alexandra, Claudia, Euphrasia, Matrona, Juliania, Euphemia and Theodosia were arrested in the city of Amisa (on the coastal region of the Black Sea) during the persecution against Christians under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). Under interrogation they confessed their faith and were subjected to cruel tortures for this. The malefactors scourged and beat them with rods, and cut off their breasts. After this, they were suspended and torn with sharp hooks. Finally, the holy virgins were burned alive in a red-hot oven (+ 310).^[6]
3. See also another group of Sabbaite Fathers commemorated on May 16 († 614).
4. "Saint Nicetas the Confessor, Archbishop of Apollonias in Bithynia, was noted for his profound knowledge of Holy Scripture, and was a pious and kindly man. During the reign of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820), the saint championed the veneration of holy icons, and so was exiled and died in prison."^[17]
5. He was a shepherd boy until he became a monk at Melrose in Scotland. After the Council of Whitby, he went to Lindisfarne where he became Abbot. In March 685, he was consecrated Bishop of Lindisfarne. After his repose his relics were found to be incorrupt and eventually they were taken to Durham. One of the most famous English saints, he is the called the Wonderworker of England. His relics are revered in Durham to this day.
6. Bishop of Sens, he worked to enlighten the Frisians, helped by monks from the monastery of Fontenelle. After many years among the Frisians, he returned to Fontenelle where he reposed. His relics are still in Abbeville in the north of France.^[18]
7. See: (in German) Remigius von Straßburg. Wikipedia. (German Wikipedia).
8. In 988 he fled with the other monks from the Saracens and settled at Peñacorada, where he built the monastery of Santa Maria de los Valles, later named after him San Guillermo de Peñacorada.
9. The Martyr Myron of Crete suffered under the Turks for his refusal to accept Islam in the year 1793.^[28]