December 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

The Eastern Orthodox cross

December 11 - Eastern Orthodox Church 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]
• 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]

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][19]
• Venerable Therapontus, Abbot of Monza (1597)^[3][20]
• Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of Alaska (1836)^{[3][21][note 7]} (see also December 13 - repose; and August 9 - feast day)

Other commemorations

• Synaxis of the First Martyrs of the American land:

• Hieromartyr Juvenal the Protomartyr of America (1796), Peter the Aleut (c. 1815); and
• New Martyrs of Russia: Anatole (Kamensky) of Irkutsk, Seraphim (Samoilovich) of Uglich; and
• priests: John (Kochurov) of Chicago (1917) and Alexander (Khotovitsky) of New York (1937).^[21][22] (see also September 24 - Synaxis of All Saints of Alaska)

• Repose of Flegont (Ostrovsky), Stylite of Kimlyai (Mordovia) (1870)^{[3][note 8]}

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).

• 

  St. Peter the Aleut.

• 

  St. John Kochurov.

• 

  Altar fresco of 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. The service to Saint Herman may be sung on December 12th, while December 13th was originally thought to be the day of his repose (due to an error in record keeping, December 13, 1836 was originally thought to be the day of Saint Herman's death, and because of the long-established tradition of celebrating his memory on this day, it has remained a feast day). In fact, November 15, 1837 is the anniversary of the death of Saint Herman.
8. Desert-dweller Flegont of Moksha River, Penza.

References

1. Great Synaxaristes: (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: (Greek): Ὁ Ἅγιος Αἰθέριος ὁ Μάρτυρας. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
5. Great Synaxaristes: (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: (Greek): Ὁ Ὅσιος Ἀμωναθᾶς. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
8. Great Synaxaristes: (Greek): Ὁ Ὅσιος Ἀνθός. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
9. Great Synaxaristes: (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: (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: (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. Great Synaxaristes: (Greek): Ὁ Ὅσιος Ἰωάννης (ἢ Ἰωακείμ) Ἐπίσκοπος Ζιχνῶν. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
20. Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza. OCA - Feasts and Saints.
21. December 25 / December 12. HOLY TRINITY RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (A parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow).
22. 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).
• Complete List of Saints. Protection of the Mother of God Church (POMOG).
• December 12. OCA - The Lives of the Saints.
• Dr. Alexander Roman. December. Calendar of Ukrainian Orthodox Saints (Ukrainian Orthodoxy - Українське Православ'я).
• 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: (Greek) 12 ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
• (Greek) Συναξαριστής. 12 Δεκεμβρίου. ECCLESIA.GR. (H ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ).

Russian Sources

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