Febuary 10

S. V. Bulgakov, Handbook for Church Servers

The Holy Martyr Charalampus, Bishop of Magnesia.

Saint Charalampus was a bishop in the city of Magnesia in Thessaly. For his fervent preaching of the Christian faith to the pagans, this hierarch was subjected to judgment of Emperor Severus, being 113 years old. The emperor commanded him to undergo severe tortures, which began in Magnesia and ended in Antioch. The hierarch was tortured with iron claws; they drove nails into his body, burnt him with fire and shattered his mouth with a stone. Before his martyred death the hierarch prayed to the Lord: "come that my relics will be venerated and my memory will be honored, and that there will not be in this place any hunger or pestilence or evil producing air, which destroys fruit". Thus praying and praising God for his sufferings, Saint Charalampus departed to his everlasting rest earlier, than the order to behead him could be executed. It happened in the year 202.

Troparion Tone 4

As an unshaken pillar of Christ's Church and an unwavering light of the world,/ thou didst illumine the world by thy martyrdom, O Charalampos,/ and dispel the moonless night of idols./ Since thou hast boldness with Christ,/ pray to Him to save our souls.

Kontakion Tone 4

O trophy-bearing Athlete and Hieromartyr Charalampos,/ the Church has acquired thy relics as precious treasure./ Therefore she rejoices and glorifies the Creator.

The Holy Martyrs Porphyrius and Baptus and three female Martyrs.

Porphyrius and Baptus were the executors of the will of the Martyr St. Charalampus. Struck by the unwavering patience and courage of St. Charalampus, they believed in Christ, for which they were decapitated. At the same time three women who seeing the sufferings of St. Charalampus also believed in Christ were put to the sword.

The Virgin-martyrs Ennatha, Valentina and Paula.

These virgin martyrs suffered in Palestine in the year 308 during the reign of Maximian from the hegemony of Firmilian. Saint Ennatha was from vicinity of Gaza; St. Valentina was from Caesarea, St. Paula was from the vicinity of Caesarea.

Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Caves.

He was a native of Smolensk and accepted monasticism in the Kiev Caves from the Abbot John. Leading a strict selfless life, he did not eat the usual bread but gathered for the entire year a weed called orach, and he pounded it and from it prepared food for himself, which, through the prayers of the saint, quite replaced the bread for him; this food he ate up to his death, which is why they called him in his cell "Orach-eater ". He was never sad, but always in joy served the Lord. The Lord awarded him with gifts of wonderworking. When in Kiev there once was a famine, many of the poor inhabitants came to his cell and the venerable Prochorus ably supplied them with bread, which he prepared from orach and which, through the prayers of the one pleasing to God, seemed to them to be sweeter and tastier than the bread from wheat, and he distributed to the assembled from his cell ashes, which, through his prayers, appeared as better salt. The saintly ascetic died in 1107. His relics to this day lie in the caves of the

Novgorod Hierarchs: Joachim, Luke, Herman, Arcadius, Gregory, Martyrius, Anthony, Basil and Simeon.

Bishop Joachim

, called a Chersonite, was ordained in Constantinople, arrived in Kiev during the reign of Anna and was sent to Novgorod for the propagation and affirmation of the faith in Christ there. In Novgorod he constructed the first wooden church in the name of Saint Sophia - Wisdom of God, with 13 cupolas, and founded a school, in which children were trained in the Law of God and in the Greek language. After 38 years of his episcopate, he died peacefully in 1030. His relics were uncovered in 1699 and are in the Saint Sofia cathedral. The writing of the chronicles is attributed to him (the Joachim Chronicles).

Bishop Luke

nicknamed Zhidiatoyu or Zhiriatoyu, was the second bishop of Novgorod and the first Russian to attain the rank of bishop. He consecrated (in 1051) the reconstructed famous Saint Sophia Cathedral, which existed in Novgorod up to this time. On a false accusation by his valet Dutik, this hierarch was punished by Metropolitan Ephraim and confined to Kiev for three years, but then he was cleared of the charges, and the accuser was severely punished. The hierarch Luke died on the way of his return from Kiev (in 1059) and with honor was buried in the Novgorod Saint Sophia Cathedral, where his relics repose, and were uncovered in 1558. St. Luke was a "teaching" pastor, and he left one instruction for the brothers, remarkable for its simplicity and strength of spirit. Bishop Herman at first practiced his asceticism in the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, close to which (on the Berestov) he founded a monastery (which in 1096 was destroyed by the Polovtsy). St. Herman was consecrated a bishop of Novgorod in 1078, and died in Kiev in 1095 and was buried in Novgorod in the Saint Sophia Cathedral. Bishop Arcadius. See September 18.

Archbishop Gregory

(in the world Gabriel) was consecrated in 1187 and ruled over the Novgorod pastorate for 6 years. In the chronicles it is told, that once, during a procession from the Saint Sophia Cathedral to the cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel a terrible thunderstorm struck, and the lightning caused the wooden church of the Commanders of the Heavenly Hosts to burn, but the Lord protected from harm his God-pleasing Hierarch Gabriel, and his congregation: all were saved from the flames and the church had escaped damage. He was laid to rest on May 24, 1193 and was buried in the Saint Sophia Cathedral. His relics were uncovered in 1558 and repose in a shrine, on which the hierarch is represented at full length. Archbishop Martyrius was elected in 1193 and ordained in Kiev by the abbots of the Staraya Russa Monastery of our Savior (see Novg. ep.) founded by him. In 1199 owing to the strong displeasure of the grand prince Vsevolod of Novgorod, the hierarch set off with mayors and some citizens to the prince in Vladimir, but, exhausted by age and hard work, he died on the road, near the shore of Lake Seliger, on August 24. His holy body was brought to Novgorod and laid in the vestibule of the Saint Sophia Cathedral, and this vestibule from that time was referred to as the Martyrius porch.

Archbishop Anthony

(Yadreykovich), in the world Dobrinia Andreykovich, by birth was a Novgorodian, before his election was a monk of the Khutinsk Monastery (see. Novg. Ep.). The Novgorodians who were dissatisfied with their hierarch Metrophanes, drove him out of Novgorod and chose in his place, without the sanction of the metropolitan, Anthony. After some time, Metrophanes, with the sanction of the Metropolitan, again occupied the cathedra and Anthony was forced to leave to Peremysl, Galicia. But the Novgorodians so frequently changed their hierarchs, as well as princes, and Anthony after some time was again called to Novgorod, but soon because of the weakness of his health, having lost his ability to speak, he voluntarily secluded himself in the Khutinsk Monastery. From here, according to the will of the violent Novgorodians, he was forced to come back to the hierarchs cathedra for the third time. Soon after that he peacefully was laid to rest in the Khutinsk Monastery on October 8, 1232.

Archbishop Basil

, called the Cripple, is elected from the priests of the Novgorod Saints Cosmas and Damian Church. He was very zealous for the decoration and the structure of temples, even wrote icons for them, he fearlessly pacified an uprising in Novgorod and made an effort to counteract the Latino-Polish influence (coming from Sweden). During his time the pestilential ulcer known as the black death raged in Russia from which he died and, he coming back from Pskov, where he went to calm the citizens and for the propitiation of God by his own hierarchical prayers. First he received as the archbishop from the Metropolitan of All Russia the all cross-covered vestments (i.e. decorated by many crosses) (from the Greek polystaurion, from polis which means many and stauros which means cross), and from the Patriarch of Constantinople the white klobuk, having become from that time an attribute of the Novgorod bishops. He died on July 3, 1252; and his body was brought to Novgorod and was buried in the Saint Sophia

Archbishop Simeon

was elected from the monks of the Khutinsk Monastery. Set apart by a life of good deeds, he was glorified by his suppression of a strong revolt, which broke out in Novgorod in 1418. The hierarch gathered all the clergy in the Saint Sophia Cathedral, and left from there with them and with holy icons to the center of the Volkhovsky bridge and, poured out tearful prayers, blessed both parties with the holy cross. The noise and worry instantly ceased, the rebellious mob became motionless and instead of rage affection appeared in their faces. The Hierarch was laid to rest on June 15, 1421 and was buried under the Martyrius porch of the Saint Sophia Cathedral.

The Blessed Grand Princess Anna.

The spouse of the Grand Prince Yaroslav I (daughter of the Swedish King Olaf), in paganism Indigerda, in the world Irene, she accepted monasticism with the name Anna before her death, which followed in 1051 (see October 4).

The laying to rest of the Venerable Longinus of Koryazhemsk.

He at first practiced asceticism in Obnorsk Monastery (see. Volog. Ep.), then left to go up the river to Vicheg and founded on the mouth of the river Koryazhemsk, Vologda Gubernia, the Koryazhemsk Monastery (abolished in 1863), in which he was the abbot. He died as a hieromonk on February 10, 1540. His relics repose in the temple of the Annunciation (in a Koryazhemsk churchyard, about 16 versts from Solvichegodsk) in a secluded place; they were revealed, "by some apparition", in 1557 after which the local celebrating of the Venerable Longinus was established.

Icons of the Mother of God the Fire-like.

The time and place of the appearance of these holy icons are unknown; one is known only by its name. The icon of the Mother of God is depicted with the face turned to the right side, without the Child Jesus.

S.V. Bulgakov, Handbook for Church Servers, 2nd ed. 1274 pp. (Kharkov, 1900) pp.76-7. Translated by Archpriest Eugene D. Tarris (c) February 1, 2001.

Troparion and Kontakion take from the Menologian for windows

Posted with Permission from the Translator