13th Sunday after Pentecost

Synaxis of Serbian Hierarchs

On this day are commemorated seventeen holy Serbian hierarchs, beginning with St Sava (Sabbas), first Archbishop of Serbia and Equal to the Apostles. They are: St Sava, first Archbishop of Serbia, Equal to the Apostles Arsenius, his successor Sava II, son of King Stephen the First-Crowned Nicodemus, who lived on the Holy Mountain, was abbot of Hilandar Monastery there and Archbishop of Serbia Joannicius, patriarch from 1346-1349 Ephraim, chosen as patriarch against his will in 1376. He crowned Prince Lazar, then renounced the patriarchal throne and retired into solitude Spiridon, his successor (+1388) Macarius, a great restorer of old churches and monasteries; printed many Church books (+1574) Gabriel, a nobleman by birth. The Prologue says that he ‘took part in the Moscow Council under Patriarch Nikhon, because of which he was tortured by the Turks for treason and hanged in 1656.’ In addition, Eustace, Jacob, Danilo, Sava III, Gregory, John, Maxim and Nikhon. The vital connection between the Serbian church and the Holy Mountain is obvious here; many of these hierarchs lived and struggled on Mt Athos.

Sts Alexander (340), John (595), and Paul the New (784), patriarchs of Constantinople

St Alexander took part in the First Ecumenical Council as delegate of Patriarch Metrophanes, who was too frail to attend; and succeeded Metrophanes on the Patriarchal throne. By his prayer to God that the Church might be spared the schemings of Arius, Arius was struck dead.

St John is, by one account, St John the Faster (Sept. 2), who reposed in 595; by another, St John Scholasticus (Feb. 21), who reposed in 577.

St Paul was Patriarch for five years, then renounced the Patriarchal throne to take the Great Schema.