December 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

The Eastern Orthodox cross

December 11 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - December 13

All fixed commemorations below celebrated on December 25 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar. ^{[note 1]}

For December 12th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on November 29 .

Saints

• Hieromartyr Alexander of Jerusalem, Bishop of Jerusalem (250-251) ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• Martyr Aitherius (Aetherius), under Maximian, tortured and beheaded for refusing to sacrifice to idols (c. 286 - 305) ^{[4] [note 2]}
• Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker, Bishop of Tremithus (348) ^{[3] [5] [6]}
• Venerable Amonathus, monk. ^[7]
• Venerable Anthus, monk. ^[8]
• Saint Euphemiane. ^{[9] [note 3]}
• Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Georgia (9th century) ^{[3] [10] [note 4]} (see also: May 7 )

Pre-Schism Western saints

• Martyr Synesius (Synetus) of Rome, a Reader, tortured and beheaded for refusing to sacrifice to idols (270-275) ^{[3] [12] [13]}
• Martyrs Maxentius, Constantius, Crescentius, Justinus and their Companions, martyrs in Trier in Germany in the reign of Diocletian, under the governor Rictiovarus (c. 287) ^{[14] [15]}
• Saint Abra of Poitiers, daughter of St Hilary of Poitiers in France (c. 360) ^{[14] [note 5]}
• Saint Corentinus of Quimper, first Bishop of Quimper in Brittany, he had lived as a hermit at Plomodiern (490) ^[14]
• Saint Finian of Clonard and Skellig Michael, teacher of Ireland and one of the fathers of Irish monasticism (549) ^{[3] [14] [16] [note 6]}
• Saint Columba of Terryglass (Columba of Tyrdaglas), born in Leinster in Ireland, he was a disciple of St Finian and Abbot of Tyrdaglas in Munster (552) ^[14] (see also: December 13)
• Saint Gregory of Terracina, a disciple of St Benedict, and with his brother St Speciosus, a monk at Terracina in Italy (c. 570) ^[14]
• Saint Cormac (Cormac mac Eogain), an Abbot in Ireland and friend of St Columba (6th century) ^{[14] [18]}
• Saint Colman of Glendalough in Ireland, Abbot (659) ^{[3] [14]}
• Saint Agatha, nun at Wimborne in Dorset in England and a disciple of St Lioba, she went to Germany to help St Boniface in his missionary work (c. 790) ^[14]
• Saint Israel of Limoges, canon and precentor (1014) ^[19]

Post-Schism Orthodox saints

• Saint John, Metropolitan of Zichon, founder of the Monastery of the Forerunner on Mt. Menikion (north-east of Serres) (1333) ^{[3] [20]}
• Venerable Therapontus, Abbot of Monza (1597) ^{[3] [21]}

Other commemorations

• Synaxis of the First Martyrs of the American land: ^{[3] [22] [23]}

• Hieromartyr Juvenal the Protomartyr of America (1796)
• Peter (Cungagnaq) the Aleut, tortured and slain by Franciscan friars at San Francisco, California (c. 1815)
• Hieromartyr Anatole (Kamensky) of Irkutsk (1925) ^{[22] [23] [note 7] [note 8]}
• Hieromartyr Seraphim (Samoilovich) of Uglich (1937) ^{[note 9]}
• Hieromartyr John (Kochurov) of Chicago, priest, slain in Russia (1917)
• Hieromartyr Alexander (Khotovitsky) of New York, priest, slain in Russia (1937)

• Repose of Flegont (Ostrovsky), Stylite of Kimlyai, Mordovia (1870) ^{[3] [note 10]}

Icon gallery

• 
  Hieromartyr Alexander of Jerusalem, Bishop of Jerusalem.
• 
  Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker, of Tremithus.
• 
  Labarum of St. Corentin of Quimper, in the parish church of Locronan, Brittany.
• 
  Saint Finnian of Clonard preaches to his monks at Clonard. (Stained glass, 1957).
• 
  Hieromartyr Juvenal the Protomartyr of America.
• 
  St. Peter the Aleut.
• 
  New Hieromartyr Anatole (Kamensky) of Irkutsk.
• 
  New Hieromartyr Seraphim (Samoilovich) of Uglich.
• 
  St. John Kochurov.
• 
  St. Alexander Hotovitzky.

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. His memory is recorded in Parisian Codex 1611.
3. She in unknown in the Synaxaria. However her memory is recorded in the Jerusalemitic Canonarion pg.120, together with Saint Phoebe, another unknown Saint.
4. The life of the holy martyr John, Abbot of Zedazeni Monastery, has not been preserved, but the list recalling “the names of the holy fathers who reposed at Zedazeni Monastery after John of Zedazeni,” which was compiled by Catholicos Arsenius II (955-80), tells us that Abbot John was “murdered at Zedazeni by Muslims.” St. John was martyred in the 9th century. ^[11]
5. Following the advice of her father St Hilary, she consecrated herself to God as a nun but reposed at the age of eighteen.
6. "This illustrious Saint of Ireland received his first education in learning and piety from the Bishop St. Fortchern and the Abbot St. Cayman; but he passed over to Wales, and spent many years with St. David at Minevia, blessing that land with the example of his holy life. He was advanced in age when he returned to Ireland, though his zeal for the service of God was in no way diminished. The great work of St. Finian was the foundation of the celebrated School of Clonard, in Westmeath, in which a multitude of eminent servants of God were educated in piety and human learning." ^[17]
7. Archbishop Anatole was glorified as a Russian New-Martyr on the calendars of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Church Abroad and is known as the New Hieromartyr Anatole (Kamensky), Archbishop of Irkutsk. The time and place of Abp. Anatole's death is uncertain. His repose is dated variously as in November 1924 or on September 20, 1925 as well as September 20, 1920 and January 24, 1921. In one account of his death he is recorded as dying quietly in Omsk. He is commemorated on the following feast days:

   • New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia - (the Sunday nearest January 25 / February 7);
   • Synaxis of the New-Martyrs of the American Land - (December 12 / 25).

8. See also: (in Russian) Анатолий (Каменский) . Википедии. (Russian Wikipedia).
9. See also: (in Russian) Серафим (Самойлович) . Википедии. (Russian Wikipedia).
10. Desert-dweller Flegont of Moksha River, Penza.

References

1. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek): Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μάρτυρας. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
2. Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem. OCA - Feasts and Saints.
3. December 12/25. Orthodox Calendar (PRAVOSLAVIE.RU).
4. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek): Ὁ Ἅγιος Αἰθέριος ὁ Μάρτυρας. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
5. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek): Ὁ Ἅγιος Σπυρίδων ὁ Θαυματουργός Ἐπίσκοπος Τριμυθοῦντος Κύπρου. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
6. St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus. OCA - Feasts and Saints.
7. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek): Ὁ Ὅσιος Ἀμωναθᾶς. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
8. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek): Ὁ Ὅσιος Ἀνθός. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
9. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek): Ἡ Ἁγία Εὐφημιανή. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
10. Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery. OCA - Feasts and Saints.
11. Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery. HOLY TRINITY RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (A parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow).
12. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek): Ὁ Ἅγιος Συνετὸς ὁ Μάρτυρας. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
13. Martyr Synetus of Rome. OCA - Feasts and Saints.
14. December 12. Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome.
15. The Roman Martyrology. Transl. by the Archbishop of Baltimore. Last Edition, According to the Copy Printed at Rome in 1914. Revised Edition, with the Imprimatur of His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons. Baltimore: John Murphy Company, 1916. p.382.
16. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek): Ὁ Ἅγιος Finian of Clonard (Ἰρλανδός). 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
17. Rev. Richard Stanton. A Menology of England and Wales, or, Brief Memorials of the Ancient British and English Saints Arranged According to the Calendar, Together with the Martyrs of the 16th and 17th Centuries. London: Burns & Oates, 1892. p.597.
18. Charles-Edwards, T. M. "Connacht, saints of (act. c. 400 – c. 800)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Online ed.), Oxford University Press. First published 2004; Online Edition, Jan 2011.
19. "Израиль Лиможский - 1014". 2015-04-02. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
20. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek): Ὁ Ὅσιος Ἰωάννης (ἢ Ἰωακείμ) Ἐπίσκοπος Ζιχνῶν. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
21. Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza. OCA - Feasts and Saints.
22. December 25 / December 12. HOLY TRINITY RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (A parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow).
23. The Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of Western Europe and the Americas (ROCOR). St. Hilarion Calendar of Saints for the year of our Lord 2004. St. Hilarion Press (Austin, TX). p.93.

Sources

• December 12/25. Orthodox Calendar (PRAVOSLAVIE.RU).
• December 25 / December 12. HOLY TRINITY RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (A parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow).
• December 12. OCA - The Lives of the Saints.
• The Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of Western Europe and the Americas (ROCOR). St. Hilarion Calendar of Saints for the year of our Lord 2004. St. Hilarion Press (Austin, TX). p. 93.
• December 12. Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome.
• The Roman Martyrology. Transl. by the Archbishop of Baltimore. Last Edition, According to the Copy Printed at Rome in 1914. Revised Edition, with the Imprimatur of His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons. Baltimore: John Murphy Company, 1916.

Greek Sources

• Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) 12 ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
• (in Greek) Συναξαριστής. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ECCLESIA.GR. (H ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ).

Russian Sources

• (in Russian) 25 декабря (12 декабря). Православная Энциклопедия под редакцией Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Кирилла (электронная версия). (Orthodox Encyclopedia - Pravenc.ru).
• (in Russian) 12 декабря (ст.ст.) 25 декабря 2013 (нов. ст.). Русская Православная Церковь Отдел внешних церковных связей. (DECR).