May 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

May 20 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - May 22

All fixed commemorations below are celebrated on June 3 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.

For May 21st, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on May 8.

Saints

• Holy Equals-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine (337), and Empress Helena, his mother (327)
• Martyrs Polyeuctus, Victorinus, and Donatus, at Caesarea in Cappadocia.
• Hieromartyr Secundus and those with him, in Alexandria (356)
• Saint Adelphios, Bishop of Onouphis, in Byzantine Egypt (c. 362)
• Saint Boros, monk.
• Saint Christopher I, Patriarch of Antioch (967)

Pre-Schism Western saints

• Hieromartyrs Timothy, Polius and Eutychius, deacons, in Mauretania Caesariensis, Morocco.
• Hieromartyr Valens and Companions, Bishop who was martyred in Auxerre in France along with three children.
• Martyr Secundinus, in Cordoba in Spain under Diocletian (c. 306)
• Saint Hospitius the Hermit of Nice, Wonderworker (581)
• Saint Barrfoin (Bairrfhionn, Barrindus) of Killbarron (6th century)
• Saint Gollen (Collen, Colan) of Denbighshire, a saint who has given his name to Llangollen in Wales (7th century)
• Saint Isberga (Itisberga) of Aire, reputed sister of Charlemagne, nun at Aire (Aria) in the Artois, of which she is the patroness (c. 800)
• Saint Ageranus (Ayran, Ayrman) of Beze, a monk at Bèze in France, martyred by the Vikings (888)
• Saint Theobald of Vienne (Thibaud), Archbishop of Vienne (970-1001)

Post-Schism Orthodox saints

• Blessed Constantine (Yaroslav), prince, and his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom (1129)
• Saint Cyril II (Kirill), Bishop of Rostov (1262)
• Saint Basil of Ryazan, Bishop (1295) <small>(see also: April 12)</small>
• Saint Helen of Dečani, Serbia, Princess (c. 1350)
• Venerable Cassian the Greek, monk of Uglich, Wonderworker (1504)
• Monk-martyr Agapitus of Markushev, Vologda (1584)
• Saint Constantine the Fool-for-Christ, of Novotorzhsky, Russia (c. 16th century)
• New Martyrs King Constantine Brancoveanu of Wallachia and his four sons Constantine, Stephen, Radu, and Matthew, and his counsellor Ianache (1714)
• Martyr Pachomios of Patmos (1730)
• Saint Callistratus of Georgia, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia (1952)

New martyrs and confessors

• Synaxis of All Saints of Karelia.
• Synaxis of All Saints of Simbirsk.
• Synaxis of New Hieromartyrs and Confessors of Ufa.

Other commemorations

• Repose of Elena Pavlova of , Kharkiv (1885)
• Repose of Elder Isaac of Dionysiou Monastery of Mount Athos (1932)
• Uncovering of the relics (1998) of St. Andrew Ogorodnikov, Fool-for-Christ of Simbirsk (1841)
• The Anastenaria fire-walking ritual is performed from May 21–23 in some villages in Northern Greece and Southern Bulgaria, coinciding with the feast of Constantine and Helen.

Icons

• Synaxis of the "Vladimir" Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (1521)
• Synaxis of the "Virgin of Tenderness" Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos from Pskov-Pechersk (1524)

Icon gallery

Notes

References

Sources

• May 21/June 3. Orthodox Calendar (ORTHOCHRISTIAN.COM).
• June 3 / May 21. HOLY TRINITY RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (A parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow).
• May 21. Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome.
• May 21. The Roman Martyrology.

Greek Sources

• Great Synaxaristes: 21 ΜΑΪΟΥ. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
• Συναξαριστής. 21 ΜαΐοÏÂ. ECCLESIA.GR. (H ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ).

Russian Sources

• 3 июня (21 мая). Православная Энциклопедия под редакцией Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Кирилла (электронная версия). (Orthodox Encyclopedia - Pravenc.ru).
• 21 мая (ст.ст.) 3 июня 2013 (нов. ст.). Русская Православная Церковь Отдел внешних церковных связей. (DECR).