June 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

June 22 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - June 24

The Eastern Orthodox cross

All fixed commemorations below celebrated on July 6 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.^{[note 1]}

For June 23rd, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on June 10.

Saints

• Martyr Agrippina of Rome and her companions Paula, Bassa, and Agathonica (253-259)^{[1][2][3][4][note 2][note 3][note 4]}
• Hieromartyrs Aristocleus the Priest, Demetrian the Deacon, and Athanasius the Reader, at Salamis on Cyprus (302 or 306)^[1][3][8] (see also: June 20)
• Martyrs Eustochius, Gaius, Proba, Lollia, and Urban, of Ancyra (4th century)^{[1][3][9][10]}
• Venerable Hesychios the Sinaite, hegumen of Saint Catherine's Monastery (7th century)^[11][12]
• Venerable Barbaros the Myrrhgusher, "the Pentapolitis" (c. 820-829)^{[3][13][14][note 5]} (see also: May 15 )

Pre-Schism Western saints

• Saint Felix of Sutri, a priest of Sutri in Lazio in Italy, scourged to death under Valerian and Gallienus (257)^{[5][15][note 6]}
• Saint John, a priest in Rome, beheaded under Julian the Apostate (362)^{[5][16][note 7]}
• Saint Moeliai (Moelray), born in Ireland and baptised by St Patrick, he became Abbot of Nendrum Monastery (c. 493)^[5][17]
• Venerable Etheldreda (Audrey, Etheldred, Æthelthryth), Queen and Abbess, foundress of Ely Monastery, England (679)^{[1][5][18][19][20][21][note 8][note 9]} (see also: October 17 - Translation of Relics )
• Saint Hidulf, Count of Hainault in Belgium, he became a monk at Lobbes Abbey which he had helped to found, Benedictine abbot (c. 707)^{[5][note 10][note 11]}
• Saint Jacob of Toul, Bishop of Toul (769)^{[5][23][note 12]}
• Saint Walhere, a priest in Belgium murdered for his righteousness and venerated as a martyr.^[5][24]

Post-Schism Orthodox saints

• Saint Nicetas of Thebes in Boetia,^[19][25] and his disciples Theodore, Gregory, and Daniel^[19] (1079)^[1][20]
• Saint Dionysius of Polotsk (1182)^{[1][20][note 13]}
• Saint Artemius of Verkola (1545)^{[1][20][26][27]}
• Venerables Joseph, founder (1612), Anthony, and Ioannicius, Abbots of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda (17th century)^[1][20]

New martyrs and confessors

• New Hieromartyr Kallinikos of Veroia (1821)^[12][28]
• New Hieromartyrs and martyrs of Crete (1821):^{[12][19][29][30][note 14] [note 15]}

• Gerasimos of Crete;
• Neophytos of Knossos;
• Ioakeim of Hersonissos;
• Hierotheos of Lambis;
• Zacharias of Sitia;
• Ioakeim of Petra;
• Gerasimos of Rethymnos;
• Kallinikos of Kydonia;
• Melchisedek of Kissamos;
• Kallinikos of Diapolis;
• and those with them, clerics and laymen, in 1821 and 1822.^{[note 16]}

• New Hieromartyrs Alexander Miropolsky,^[32] Alexis Vvedensky,^[33] and Peter Smorodintsev, Priests (1918)^[20][34]
• New Hieromartyr Mitrophan (Krasnopolsky), Archbishop of Astrakhan (1919)^{[1][20][34][note 17]}
• New Hieromartyr Leontius (von Vimpfen), Bishop of Enotaeva, and those with him (1919)^[1][20]
• New Hieromartyr Maxim (Zhizhilenko), Bishop of Serpukhov (1931)^{[20][note 18]}

Other commemorations

• Synaxis of the Saints of Vladimir (1982)^{[1][20][34][35][36]}
• Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (1480)^{[1][19][20][34][37][38]} (see also: May 21 )
• Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos:

• "Umileniye" ("Of Tender Feeling") of the Pskov-Caves Monastery (1524);^{[1][12][20][34][39][40]}
• "Zaonikiev" (1588)^[1][20][34]
• "Vratarnitsa"(1894)^[20][34]

• Translation of the relics of Venerable Michael of Klopsk, Fool-for-Christ of Klopsk Monastery, Novgorod (1482)^[1][20]
• Second translation of the relics (1714) of St. Herman, Archbishop of Kazan (1567)^{[1][20][34][41]}
• Repose of Schemamonk Zosimas of Solovki (1855)^[1]
• Repose of Ivan M. Kontzevitch, spiritual writer (1965)^{[1][note 19]}

Icon gallery

• 
  Martyr Agrippina of Rome.
• 
  Venerable Etheldreda (Audrey, Æthelthryth), Queen and Abbess.
• 
  St. Artemius of Verkola.
• 
  New Hieromartyr Mitrophan (Krasnopolsky), Archbishop of Astrakhan.
• 
  Synaxis of the Saints of Vladimir.
• 
  Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.
• 
  Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos Umileniye" ("Of Tender Feeling") of the Pskov-Caves Monastery.
• 
  Venerable Michael of Klopsk.
• 
  St. Herman, Archbishop of Kazan.

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. "A virgin-martyr in Rome, probably under Valerian. She was especially venerated by Sicilians and Greeks, both having relics, the former in Mineo and the latter in Constantinople."^[5]
3. "Also, at Borne, St. Agrippina, virgin and martyr, under the emperor Valerian. Her body was carried to Sicily, where it works many miracles."^[6]
4. "This blessed martyr was a virgin at Rome, who, for the faith of Christ, was stripped by the inhuman magistrate and scourged to death. Her body was carried to Sicily, and thence to Constantinople."^[7]
5. This local saint is listed in hagiology of the Metropolis of Aetolia and Acarnania, in Greece, as "Venerable Barbaros the Pentapolitis", on June 23rd.
6. "At Sutri, in Tuscany, St. Felix, priest. By the command of the prefect Turcius, he was struck on the mouth with a stone until he breathed his last."^[6]
7. "At Rome, in the reign of Julian the Apostate, St. John, a priest, who was decapitated on the old Salarian road, before an idol of the sun. His body was buried near those of other martyrs by the blessed priest Concordius."^[6]
8. Born in Suffolk in England, she was a daughter of King Anna of East Anglia and a sister of Sts Saxburgh, Ethelburgh and Withburgh. Twice married, she remained a virgin. She became a nun at Coldingham and then went to Ely where she became abbess. She lived a life of great holiness and simplicity. Her body remained incorrupt after death and her hand-relic survives in Ely to this day.
9. "In England, St. Audry, queen and virgin, who departed for heaven with a great renown for sanctity and miracles. Her body was found without corruption eleven years afterwards."^[6]
10. Count of Hainault in Belgium, he married St Aye, but by mutual consent they entered monasteries. Hidulf became a monk at Lobbes which he had helped to found.
11. "In the Scottish Menology of Thomas Dempster, there is an entry of St. Hildulph, Bishop of Treves, and of his companions, as named, at the 23rd of June. The Bollandists also notice this commemoration, but defer giving his Acts to the 11th of July. We are told by Surius, that when Dagobert ruled over the kingdom of the Franks, St. Florentius with the Blessed Argobast, Theodatus, and Hildulph came from Scotia to Alsace. Thomas Dempster has some other notices in his Scottish History."^[22]
12. Probably born in Bertigny in Haute Marne, he became a monk at Hornbach, before he became Bishop of Toul in the east of France in 756. See:

    • (in French) Jacob de Toul. Wikipédia. (French Wikipedia).
13. See: (in Russian) Дионисий Полоцкий. Википедии. (Russian Wikipedia).
14. "The enraged turks massacred the metropolite of Crete, Gerasimos Pardalis, and five more bishops: Neofitos of Knossos, Joachim of Herronissos, Ierotheos of Lambis, Zacharias of Sitia and Kallinikos, the titular bishop of Diopolis."^[31] See:

    • Great Massacre of Heraklion. Wikipedia.

15. On June 23, 1821, a Holy Synod took place at the Metropolis of Crete, at the Agios Minas Cathedral, at which the Archbishop of Crete started to read a letter sent by the Ottoman Vizier. Enemies who were lying in wait seized upon the church and murdered the Bishops, 17 priests and 5 hagiorite fathers from the Vatopedi monastery. They also murdered 300 Christians who were in attendance. From there, they persecuted the remaining Christians who were dispersed in the city, mercilessly killing any they found in the streets, where they also met Bishop Hierotheos of Lambis, who they murdered together with his deacon. On the next day, in the village "Epano Phourni", which was the seat of the Bishop of Petra, Bishop Ioakeim was shot outside the Church of the Theotokos.^[29]
16. A service (in Greek) to the New Hieormartyrs of Crete is available via the website of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Holy Metropolis of Petra and Hersonissos:

    • (in Greek) Ακολουθία Αγίων Ενδόξων Νεομαρτύρων. Ecumenical Patriarchate - Holy Metropolis of Petra and Hersonissos. Retrieved: 2 May 2018. 9 pages. (PDF).

17. See: (in Russian) Митрофан (Краснопольский). Википедии. (Russian Wikipedia).
18. See: (in Russian) Максим (Жижиленко). Википедии. (Russian Wikipedia).
19. See: (in Russian) Концевич, Иван Михайлович. Википедии. (Russian Wikipedia).