April 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

April 2 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - April 4

An Eastern Orthodox cross

All fixed commemorations below are observed on April 16 by Eastern Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.^{[note 1]}

For April 3rd, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on March 21.

Saints

• Martyr Elpidephorus (3rd century)^[1][2][3]
• Martyrs Dius,^[4] Bithonius,^[5] and Galycus^[6] (3rd century)^[1][7]
• Martyrs Cassius, Philip, and Eutychius, of Thessaloniki (304)^[1]
• Virgin-martyrs Irene, Agapia and Chionia of Aquileia, in Thessaloniki (304)^[8][9][10] (see also: April 16)
• Martyr Ulphianus of Tyre (306)^[1][11]
• Virgin-martyr Theodosia of Tyre (308)^[1][12] (see also: April 2)
• Martyrs Evagrius, Benignus, Chrestus, Arestus, Kinnudius, Rufus, Patricius, and Zosima, at Tomis in Moesia (c. 310)^[1][13]
• Venerable Illyrius, monk of Mount Myrsinon in the Peloponnese.^{[1][14][15][16]}
• Venerable Nicetas of Medikion (Nicetas the Confessor), Abbot of Medikion (824)^{[1][16][17][18][19][note 2]}
• Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, of Sicily (883)^{[1][16][21][22]} (see also: April 4 - Russian)

Pre-Schism Western saints

• Saint Pancras of Taormina (Pancratius), born in Antioch, consecrated by the Apostle Peter and sent to Taormina in Sicily where he was stoned to death (c. 40)^{[23][24][note 3]}
• Saint Sixtus I (Xystus), Pope of Rome from 117 to c 125, sometimes referred to as a martyr (c. 125)^[23]
• Saint Fara (Burgundofara) of Eboriac, now Faremoutiers (657)^{[1][20][23][note 4]}
• Saint Attala (Attalus), a monk and abbot of a monastery in Taormina in Sicily (ca. 800)^[23]

Post-Schism Orthodox saints

• Saint Philip I, Metropolitan of Moscow (1473)^[1] (see also: April 5)
• Saint Nectarius, founder of Bezhetsk Monastery, Tver (1492)^[1][25][26]
• New Martyr Paul the Russian at Constantinople (1683)^{[1][16][26][27]} (see also: April 6)
• Venerable Amphilochios (Makris), Elder, of Patmos (1970)^{[1][28][note 5]} (see also: April 16 - ns)

Other commemorations

• Synaxis of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "The Unfading Rose" (Unfading Blossom, Flower of Incorruption).^{[1][26][31][32]}

Icon gallery

• 
  Virgin-martyr Theodosia of Tyre.
• 
  Venerable Nicetas the Confessor, Abbot of Medikion.
• 
  Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, of Sicily.
• 
  Theotokos "The Unfading Rose" (The Unfading Blossom, The Flower of Incorruption)
• 
  Theotokos "The Unfading Rose", with Sts. George and Demetrios.

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. "In the monastery of Medicion, in the East, the abbot St. Nicetas, who suffered much for the worship of holy images, in the time of Leo the Armenian."^[20]
3. "AT Taormina, in Sicily, the bishop St. Pancratius, who sealed, with a martyr's blood, the gospel of Christ which the apostle St. Peter had sent him thither to preach."^[20]
4. Blessed by St Columbanus as a child, she became a nun despite her father's opposition, and so began the convent of Brige in France. This was later called Faremoutiers, i.e. Fara's Monastery, where she was abbess for thirty-seven years.
5. He was glorified by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on August 29, 2018:^[29]

   (in Greek) α) Εἰσηγήσει τῆς Κανονικῆς Ἐπιτροπῆς συμπεριελήφθη εἰς τό Ἁγιολόγιον τῆς Ὀρθοδόξου Ἐκκλησίας ὁ ἐν Πάτμῳ ἀσκήσας καί ἀναπτύξας μέγα πνευματικόν καί κοινωφελές ἔργον ἐν Δωδεκανήσῳ, Κρήτῃ καί ἀλλαχοῦ Ἀρχιμανδρίτης Ἀμφιλόχιος Μακρῆς, διατελέσας Ἡγούμενος τῆς ἱστορικῆς Ἱερᾶς Μονῆς Ἁγίου Ἰωάννου τοῦ Θεολόγου καί Πατριαρχικός Ἔξαρχος Πάτμου, ὅστις καί ἵδρυσε τήν ἐν τῇ Νήσῳ γυναικείαν Ἱεράν Μονήν Εὐαγγελισμοῦ Μητρός Ἠγαπημένου.^[30]