Dear Friend,
St Tarasius/Taras, the Archbishop of Constantinople, was made famous in the icon of the Protection/Pokrova.
In it, he is depicted as the Hierarch standing close to St Romanos the Melodist who is at the foot of the icon.
The name "Taras" became very popular in Ukraine especially during the Kozak era, since the Pokrova became an All-Church festival in Ukraine and Russia (through the Kyivan Princes Askold and Dir whose fleet was destroyed at Constantinople through the Protection of the Mother of God and this led to their being baptized and bringing devotion to the Mantle of Protection to Kyivan Rus').
All the Saints traditionally depicted on the Pokrova/Protection icon became popular among the East Slavs as a result, such as Roman, Lev (Emperor St Leo), Sts Andrew and Epiphanius (Scythians themselves), and St Taras.
The Ukrainian national bard, Taras Shevchenko, was so named because he was born on St Taras' feastday, March 10th, and also because of the strong Kozak tradition of Zvenihorodshchyna. His poetry and Ukrainian patriotism were deeply inspired by the Kozak tradition, as we know.
Alex
