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Hello:

Which Slavic Saint or Saints are venerated most among the Slavic people?

Which Greek Saint or Saints are venerated most among the Greeks?

God bless,

Rony

I don't pretend to represent anyone but myself.

My list includes the Saints Volodymyr and Olga, St. John Chrysostom, the Saints Cyril and Methodius, the recent Martyrs of the Catacomb Church, and the Pratulin Martyrs.

My mother would have added Sainte Therese de Lisieux.

And then there is my avatar: St. Petro Mohyla.

Dear Rony,

Usually local Saints' cults are the most represented in the locales where they lived and where they are known the most.

In Kiev, St Barbara and St Michael are highly venerated, together with the many Kievan Caves Saints.

The Mother of God is especially honoured in her many miraculous icons in Russia and Ukraine and elsewhere - Professor Poselyanin lists over one thousand miraculous icons, their miraculous copies and locally-venerated icons in his book "The Mother of God."

Judging by the Saints most often used to name their Churches, the Greeks love St George and St Demetrios and St Nicholas the most, it would seem!

Alex

To the above I would add Saint Nectarios of Pentapolis for the Greeks, and Saint John of San Francisco for the Russians and Serbs.

Michael

Rony,

You didn't ask about us Melkites (we're a strong and noisy minority here on the Forum; you want to get on our good side now, before the coup ) .

Anyway, I'll give you my 2 cents worth, cause I like you and I'm so pleased to have a Chaldean among us. On this topic, I can't speak for all Melkites, not even for all the Irish ones, but - I think one would have to say Saints Basil, John Chrysostom, Nicholas, and George are way up there on our list. That's a pretty basic and unimaginative list - there's more, but my eyes are bleary, cause a little someone cost me a lot of sleep last night. I'll have to think about it and post later.

Many years,

Neil

Neil,

I think among the clergy you'll find St. Gregory the Theologian very high on the list.

Edward, deacon and sinner

Hmmmm..... now I'm half Irish (I'm a Rus'mick, giggle) but I'd include Sts. Vladimir and Olga in my list.

Which makes me ask a question about iconography for those more wise than myself in such matters:

I have seen what I'd describe as a slightly modern depiction of St. Vladimir on an iconstasis that shows him with sword (perhaps not very prominently) and shield (very prominently). I don't recall seeing an icon of him quite like this - is that at all unusual? It is quite striking, really.

Christ is Born !
Let us Glorify him !

Saints Volydymyr and Olha are prominently displayed (icons) in almost every historic church in Ukraine.

In the central part of St Peter's Basillica in Rome these two saints are also depicted in two large sized mosaics-icons. This would be strong indication that the Vatican also accepts these two historical figures as THE most important saints of Ukraine-Rus.

Among the Slavs, I would suggest that Saint Seraphim of Sarov certainly belongs on the "most highly venerated list". Greeks tend to be fond of local Saints - who, of course, vary from locality to locality. Incognitus

Dear Hritzko,

Khristos Rozhdayetsia!

Actually, at the time of the Union of Brest, only six saints of Kyivan Rus' were venerated beyond local status in our Church - Sts. Volodymyr and Olha, Sts Boris and Hlib and Sts. Anthony and Theodosius - and this also according to Met. Ilarion Ohienko.

These saints "made it" into the Roman Calendar as well, but under their baptismal names, at least in the case of the first four.

St Paisius Velichkovsky was the one who introduced the cult of these six saints plus St Dmitri of Rostov into Romania.

Alex

Dear Hritzko,

Khristos Rozhdayetsia!

Actually, at the time of the Union of Brest, only six saints of Kyivan Rus' were venerated beyond local status in our Church - Sts. Volodymyr and Olha, Sts Boris and Hlib and Sts. Anthony and Theodosius - and this also according to Met. Ilarion Ohienko.

These saints "made it" into the Roman Calendar as well, but under their baptismal names, at least in the case of the first four.

St Paisius Velichkovsky was the one who introduced the cult of these six saints plus St Dmitri of Rostov into Romania.

Alex

Dear Alex,

Slavim Joho !

What about St-Michael ? Although he was not a Slav, is he not the patron saint of Ukraine-Rus (or just the 'Ukrainian Youth Association -SUM/CYM ) ? I thought that even the government recognized him as the patron saint of Ukraine.

Quite a few of the saints mentioned already are also well venerated in Bulgaria and I shall add a couple of more. Obviously, there is St Ivan Rilski (St John of Rila), St-Khan Boris-Michael, St-Patriarch Eftimi. Also, the 18th century St Paisios of Hilendar. Of interest to the Ukrainians here, there is also veneration of the Bulgarian Metropolitan of Kiev and Moscow, Kyprianos (or Tsamblak); actually, add St Michael of Kiev as well (c.AD992). Also the 26 Bulgarian martyrs of the Zograph Monastery slaughter in 1284. I am also a big fan of St Klement of Ohrid, equal to the Apostles and Miracle Worker and St Naum.

Anton

Hritzko,

To be more accuarate, Holy Archangel Michael (св. Архистратиг Михаїль). I've never heard of Ukraine being under his protection, though the city of Kyiv is. IIRC Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise dedicated Ukraine to the Theotokos.

Andrij

MIR BOZE!
CHRISTOS SE RODI!
VO ISTINU SE RODI!

I have a couple of favs... St. John Kochurov, who was an early missionary to the Mid-West but was called back to Russia and became one of the first martyrs of the Revolution.

St. Andre Rublev, Patron of ikon-writers...

A new one is Nestor Kravchuk, a young priest who was murdered, possibly by the Russian Mafia, for stopping the theft of ancient ikons from his parish church.

And of course, Sts. Cyril & Methodius....

JMHO....

mark