December 25 Events Pre-1600 * 36 – Forces of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han, under the command of Wu Han, conquer the separatist Chengjia empire, reuniting China. * 274 – A temple to Sol Invictus is dedicated in Rome by Emperor Aureli ...

–

Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Passages of Holy Scripture, saints and events for commemoration are associated with each date, as are many times special rul ...

–

December 27 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – The second Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is consecrated. *1512 – The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to native Indians in the New World. *1521 – ...

All fixed commemorations below are observed on January 8 by Orthodox Churches on the

Old Calendar Old Calendarists (Greek language, Greek: ''palaioimerologitai'' or ''palaioimerologites''), also known as Old Feasters (''palaioeortologitai''), Genuine Orthodox Christians or True Orthodox Christians (GOC; ), are traditionalist groups of Easte ...

. For December 26th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on

December 13 Events Pre-1600 *1294 – Saint Celestine V resigns the papacy after only five months to return to his previous life as an ascetic hermit. * 1545 – The Council of Trent begins as the embodiment of the Counter-Reformation. * 1577 & ...

Feasts

* Second Day of the Feast of the Nativity.December 26/January 8
Orthodox Calendar (PRAVOSLAVIE.RU).
Second Day of the Nativity of our Lord
'' OCA - Feasts and Saints. *

Synaxis {{For, the moth genus, Synaxis (moth) A synaxis ( el, σύναξις "gathering"; Slavonic: собор, ''sobor'') is a liturgical assembly in Eastern Christianity (the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the ...

of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God
'' OCA - Feasts and Saints. * Commemoration of the

Flight into Egypt The flight into Egypt is a story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 2:13– 23) and in New Testament apocrypha. Soon after the visit by the Magi, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to flee to Egypt with Mary and the i ...

of the Most Blessed

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or ''Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are " ...

Saints

* Saint Archelaus, Bishop of

Harran Harran (), historically known as Carrhae ( el, Kάρραι, Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border cr ...

Northern Mesopotamia Upper Mesopotamia is the name used for the uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey, in the northern Middle East. Since the early Muslim conquests of the mid-7th century, the region has been ...

(c. 280)January 8 / December 26
HOLY TRINITY RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (A parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow). * Saint Zeno (Zenon), Bishop of

Maiuma Maiuma or Maiumas was an ancient town at the site of present-day Rimal near Gaza, Palestine. History of Maiuma In antiquity, Gaza port was the principal port on the Mediterranean serving the Incense Road. Strabo and Ptolemy referred to it as ''G ...

(the port of Gaza), in Palestine (4th century) * Venerable Evaristus (Evarestos), Monk of the

Studion Monastery The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" ( grc-gre, Μονή του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Προδρόμου εν τοις Στουδίου, Monē tou Hagiou Iōannē tou Prodromou en to ...

(825) * Hieromartyr Euthymius of Sardis (''Euthymios the Confessor''), Bishop of

Sardis Sardis () or Sardes (; Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard''; el, Σάρδεις ''Sardeis''; peo, Sparda; hbo, ספרד ''Sfarad'') was an ancient city at the location of modern ''Sart'' (Sartmahmut before 19 October 2005), near Salihli, ...

(840)Great Synaxaristes: :
Ὁ Ἅγιος Εὐθύμιος ὁ Ὁμολογητής
'' 26 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis
'' OCA - Feasts and Saints.26 декабря (ст.ст.) 8 января 2013 (нов. ст.)
Русская Православная Церковь Отдел внешних церковных связей. (DECR). * Venerable Constantine, Monk of Synnada, the former Jew (9th century)

Pre-Schism Western saints

* Saint

Dionysius The name Dionysius (; el, Διονύσιος ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; la, Dionysius) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name ...

, Pope of Rome (268)December 26
Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome. * Saint Marinus, the son of a senator in Rome, he was martyred by beheading under Numerian (283) * Saint

Zosimus Zosimus, Zosimos, Zosima or Zosimas may refer to: People * * Rufus and Zosimus (died 107), Christian saints * Zosimus (martyr) (died 110), Christian martyr who was executed in Umbria, Italy * Zosimos of Panopolis, also known as ''Zosimus Alchem ...

, a Greek Pope of Rome (418) * Saint Tathai (Tathan, Tathaeus, Athaeus), Abbot of Llantathan (early 6th century) * Saint Jarlath, first Bishop of Tuam, founder of the monastery of Cluain Fois, near Tuam (Ireland) (c. 540) * Saint Theodore the

Sacrist A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretals ...

, a holy man and contemporary of St

Gregory the Great Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregori ...

in Rome (6th century) * Saint Amaethlu (Maethlu); a church founded by him in the village of

Llanfaethlu Llanfaethlu is a village and community in the north west of Anglesey, in north-west Wales. The community population taken at the 2011 Census was 553. The village takes its name from the Church of Saint Maethlu. The community includes Llanfwrog ...

in Anglesey, Wales, is named after him (6th century)

Post-Schism Orthodox saints

* Saint Nicodemus of

Tismana Tismana is a town in Gorj County, Oltenia, Romania. It administers ten villages: Celei, Costeni, Gornovița, Isvarna, Pocruia, Racoți, Sohodol, Topești, Vâlcele and Vânăta. History During the Byzantine period, Tismana was a major center of ...

, Romania (1406) * New Hieromartyr Constantius the Russian, Priest at Constantinople, by beheading (1743)

New martyrs and confessors

* New Hieromartyrs Alexander and Demetrius, Priests (1918) * New Hieromartyrs Nicholas, Michael, and Nicholas, Priests, and Michael, Deacon (1930) * New Hieromartyr Leonidas (Antoshchenko), Bishop of Mariisk (1937) * New Hieromartyr Basil (Mazurenko), Hieromonk (1937) * Hieromartyr Alexander, Priest (1937) * New Martyr Augusta (Zashchuk), Schema-Nun (1937) * Virgin-martyrs Anthisa and Makaria (1937) * New Hieromartyr Andrew, Bishop of

Ufa Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, in the centre-north of Bashkortostan, on hills forming the ...

(1937)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). pp.2–3. * New Martyr, Valentina, (1937) * Venernable New Hieromartyr Isaac II (Bobrikov),

Archimandrite The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...

Optina Monastery The Optina Pustyn (russian: Óптина пýстынь, literally ''Opta's hermitage'') is an Eastern Orthodox monastery for men near Kozelsk in Russia. In the 19th century, the Optina was the most important spiritual centre of the Russian Ortho ...

(1938)
Venerable Isaac II of Optina
'' OCA - Feasts and Saints. * New Hieromartyr Gregory, Priest (1938) * Virgin-martyrs Augusta and Mary (1938) * Martyr Agrippina (1938)

Other commemorations

* Repose of Abbot Barlaam of

Valaam Valaam ( Russian: Валаам or Валаамский архипелаг, also known by the Finnish name Valamo) is an archipelago in the northern portion of Lake Ladoga, lying within the Republic of Karelia, Russian Federation. The total area ...

and Optina Monasteries (1849) * Repose of Archimandrite Irenarchus (Rosetti) of Mt. Tabor (1859) * Repose of Elder Serapheim Savvaitis,

Hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen ( el, ἡγούμενος, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called a hegumenia ...

of the Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified (2003)

Icons

* Icon of the "Mother of God of "Vilna" ("Vilen-Ostrabramsk", "Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn"). * Icon of the Mother of God "the Three Joys".
Icon of the Mother of God "the Three Joys"
OCA - Feasts and Saints. * Icon of the Mother of God "Merciful" (Greek: ''Eleousa'').
"Merciful" Icon of the Mother of God
'' HOLY TRINITY RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (A parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow). * Icon of the Mother of God "the Blessed Womb" or "Barlovsk" (1392)
Icon of the Mother of God "the Blessed Womb"
'' OCA - Feasts and Saints. * Icon of the Mother of God "Baibuzsk" (Baibuskaya) (1852)

Icon gallery

File:Synaxis of the Theotokos (Kirillo-Belozersk).jpg, Synaxis of the Theotokos
( Kirillo-Belozersk Monastery, 15th–16th centuries) File:Flight into Egypt (12 Sinai).jpg, The

.
(Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai) File:Icon 01012 Begstvo v Egipet. Nachalo XVII v.jpg, Ukrainian icon of the

; the bottom section shows the idols of Egypt miraculously falling down before Jesus and being smashed (17th century). File:Pope Dionysius.jpg,

Pope Dionysius Pope Dionysius was the bishop of Rome from 22 July 259 to his death on 26 December 268. His task was to reorganize the Roman church, after the persecutions of Emperor Valerian I and the edict of toleration by his successor Gallienus. He also h ...

(259–268).
(Fresco in Sistine Chapel, Vatican) File:Zosimus.jpg,

Pope Zosimus Pope Zosimus was the bishop of Rome from 18 March 417 to his death on 26 December 418. He was born in Mesoraca, Calabria. Zosimus took a decided part in the protracted dispute in Gaul as to the jurisdiction of the See of Arles over that of Vienne ...

. File:Tuam Cathedral of the Assumption St Jarlath's Window 2009 09 14.jpg, Stained glass window depicting Saint Jarlath (1961). File:Reverend Nicodemus Prilepsky and Tismanski.jpg, St. Nicodemus of

, Romania. File:Gateofdawn Vilnius fc07.jpg, Icon of the "Mother of God of "Vilna"
(''Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, Vilnius'') File:Kykkos Icon.JPG, Icon of the Mother of God "Merciful".
(Mosaic icon from

Kykkos Monastery Kykkos Monastery ( el, Ιερά Μονή Κύκκου or [] for short, tr, Cikko Manastırı), which lies 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the wealthiest and best-known monastery, monasteries in Cyprus. The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of ...

, Cyprus). File:Blessed womb 02.jpg, Icon of the Mother of God "" or "Barlovsk" (1392).

Notes

References

Sources

December 26/January 8
Orthodox Calendar (PRAVOSLAVIE.RU).
January 8 / December 26
HOLY TRINITY RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (A parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow).
December 26
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). pp. 2–3.

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. pp. 397–398. Greek Sources * Great Synaxaristes:
26 ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ
ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ. * Συναξαριστής.
26 Δεκεμβρίου
'' ECCLESIA.GR. (H ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ). Russian Sources *

Православная Энциклопедия под редакцией Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Кирилла (электронная версия). (Orthodox Encyclopedia - Pravenc.ru). *
26 декабря (ст.ст.) 8 января 2013 (нов. ст.)
Русская Православная Церковь Отдел внешних церковных связей. (DECR). {{DEFAULTSORT:December 26 (Eastern Orthodox Liturgics) December in the Eastern Orthodox calendar