May 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

May 20 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 22

The Eastern Orthodox cross

All fixed commemorations below are celebrated on June 3 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.^{[note 1]}

For May 21st, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on May 8.

Saints

• Holy Equals-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine (337), and Empress Helena, his mother (327)^{[1][2][3][note 2]}
• Martyrs Polyeuctus, Victorinus, and Donatus, at Caesarea in Cappadocia.^[5][6]
• Hieromartyr Secundus and those with him, in Alexandria (356)^[2][3][5]
• Saint Adelphios, Bishop of Onouphis, in Byzantine Egypt (c. 362, or c. 431)^{[7][note 3]}
• Saint Boros, monk.^{[8][note 4]}
• Saint Christopher I, Patriarch of Antioch (967)^[9]

Pre-Schism Western saints

• Hieromartyrs Timothy, Polius and Eutychius, deacons, in Mauretania Caesariensis (Morocco).^[5][10][11]
• Hieromartyr Valens and Companions, Bishop who was martyred in Auxerre in France along with three children.^[5][11]
• Martyr Secundinus, in Cordoba in Spain under Diocletian (c. 306)^[5][11]
• Saint Hospitius the Hermit of Nice, Wonderworker (581)^{[2][3][5][11][12]}
• Saint Barrfoin (Bairrfhionn, Barrindus) of Killbarron (6th century)^{[11][note 5]}
• Saint Gollen (Collen, Colan) of Denbighshire, a saint who has given his name to Llangollen in Wales (7th century)^[11]
• Saint Isberga (Itisberga) of Aire, reputed sister of Charlemagne, nun at Aire (Aria) in the Artois, of which she is the patroness (c. 800)^[11]
• Saint Ageranus (Ayran, Ayrman) of Beze, a monk at Bèze in France, martyred by the Vikings (888)^[11]
• Saint Theobald (Thibaud), Archbishop of Vienne (970-1001)^[11]

Post-Schism Orthodox saints

• Blessed Constantine (Yaroslav), prince, and his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom (1129)^[2][3][13]
• Saint Cyril II (Kirill), Bishop of Rostov (1262)^[2][14][15]
• Saint Basil of Ryazan, Bishop (1295)^{[2][3][16][note 6]}
• Saint Helen of Decani, Serbia, Princess (c. 1350)^[2][3][17]
• Venerable Cassian the Greek, monk of Uglich, Wonderworker (1504)^{[2][3][18][19]}
• Saint Agapitus of Markushev (Vologda) the Hieromartyr, Abbot (1584)^[2][3][20]
• Saint Constantine the Fool-for-Christ, of Novotorzanin, Russia (c. 16th century)^{[21][note 7]}
• New Martyrs King Constantine Brancoveanu of Wallachia and his four sons Constantine, Stephen, Radu, and Matthew, and his counsellor Ianache (1714)^{[22][note 8]}
• Martyr Pachomios of Patmos (1730)^[3][23]

New martyrs and confessors

• Synaxis of Hieromartyrs of Karelia.^[2][3][19]
• Synaxis of Hieromartyrs of Ufa.^[3][19][24]

Other commemorations

• Uncovering of the relics (1998) of St. Andrew Ogorodnikov, fool-for-Christ of Simbirsk (1841)^[2]
• Repose of Elena Pavlova of Chepel, Kharkiv (1885)^[2]
• Repose of Elder Isaac of Dionysiou Monastery of Mount Athos (1932)^[2]
• The Anastenaria fire-walking ritual is performed from May 21–23 in some villages in Northern Greece and Southern Bulgaria, coinciding with the feast of Constantine and Helen.^{[25][note 9]}
• Synaxis of all saints of Karelia,^[26]

Icons

• Synaxis of the "Vladimir" Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (1521)^{[2][3][19][27][28][29][note 10]}
• Synaxis of the "Virgin of Tenderness" Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos from Pskov-Pechersk (1524)^{[19][30][31][32][note 11]}

Icon gallery

• 
  Sts Constantine and Helena, Holy Equals-to-the-Apostles.
• 
  Sts Constantine and Helena, Holy Equals-to-the-Apostles (Mosaic in Saint Isaac's Cathedral, St. Petersburg, Russia).
• 
  Stained glass window ( 1986 ) showing St Collen (Llangollen, Wales - St.Collen parish church)
• 
  Icon of the Saints of Murom.
• 
  King Constantin Brâncoveanu of Wallachia, and his sons (Church mural in Hurezi Monastery).
• 
  “Vladimir” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.
• 
  Mosaic icon of the Virgin of Tenderness, with the eponym "Episkepisis"("The Visitation"). From Triglia in Asia Minor, Church of Saint Basil (late 13th century)

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. These royal saints are invoked at Crownings (Wedding ceremonies) and are otherwise very popular saints in Ukraine, especially in connection to the Finding of the True Cross. St Olga of Kiev took the name “Helen” or “Olena” as her baptismal name after St Helen.^[4]
3. Onouphis: also Onouphitai, Mehallet Menuf, Mahallat Minuf. The date for this Saint corresponds to either c. 362 (Adelphios I); or c. 431 (Adelphios II). See:

   • K. A. Worp. "A Checklist of Bishops in Byzantine Egypt (A.D. 325 - c. 750)". Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, Bd. 100 (1994), pp.283-318. Page 303.

4. His memory is recalled in the "Jerusalemitic Canonarion", in conjunction with Isidore and Theodore.
5. By tradition he was in charge of the church founded by St Columba in Drum Cullen in Offaly, Ireland and later he lived in Killbarron near Ballyshannon in Donegal. It is said that he reached America on one of his missions by sea and informed St Brendan the Navigator of his discovery. He is also said to have been a bishop.^[11]
6. Also commemorated on April 12.
7. St Constantine is mentioned by Archbishop Dmitri Sambikin (1905-1908), in the Menologion and Paterikon of Tver.
8. Commemorated on August 16 in the Slavonic Menaion. (May 21 may refer to the Translation of his relics, in 1720.)
9. "According to local legend, the Anastenaria fire-walking tradition began when a fire broke out in the Church of Constantine and Helen in the village of Kosti in Thrace. The villagers defied the danger and entered the blazing church to save the icons, emerging unscathed. The miracle is now celebrated each year when the ‘Anastenarides’ walk barefoot on burning coals."^[25]
10. The Celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was established in memory of the saving of Moscow in the year 1521 from an invasion of Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei. It is commemorated on May 21, as well as June 23 and August 26.
11. Commemorated on May 21, August 26, June 23, October 7 and on the 7th Sunday of Pascha.