August 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

August 19 – Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar – August 21

The Eastern Orthodox cross

All fixed commemorations below are observed on September 2 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.[note 1]

For August 20, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints listed on August 7.

Feasts

• Afterfeast of the Dormition.[1][note 2]

Saints

• Prophet Samuel (11th century BC)[1][3][4][note 3][note 4]
• Hieromartyr Philip of Heraclea, Bishop,[6] and with him Martyrs Severus, Memnon,[7] and 37 soldiers,[8] in Philippopolis, Thrace (304)[1][9][10][note 5]
• Saints Reginus and Orestes the Great Martyrs, in Cyprus.[11][12][13]
• Martyr Lucius the Senator, of Cyprus (c. 310)[1][14][15][note 6]
• Martyrs Heliodorus and Dosa (Dausa) in Persia (380)[1][16][17]
• Martyr Photine, at the gates of Blachernae.[9][12][18]
• Saint Hierotheus, first Bishop and Enlightener of Hungary (10th century)[1][9][19][note 7]
• Saint Stephen I of Hungary, King of Hungary (1038)[1][9][20][note 8] (see also: August 16 - West)

Pre-Schism Western saints

• Saint Porphyrius, an early martyr in Palestrina near Rome.[21][note 9]
• Saint Amator (Amadour), hermit.[note 10]
• Saint Maximus, a disciple of St Martin and founder of the monastery of Chinon in France, confessor (c. 470)[5][21]
• Martyr Oswine of Deira, king of Deira (651)[1][9][21][22][note 11]
• Saint Haduin (Harduin), Bishop of Le Mans in France, he founded several monasteries including Notre-Dame-d'Evron (c. 662)[21]
• Saint Philibert of Jumièges (Gaul) (685)[1][5][9][21][note 12]
• Saint Eadberht of Northumbria (Edbert), successor of St Ceolwulf on the throne of Northumbria in England, then became a monastic (768)[21][22][note 13]
• Saint Burchard, monk at Lobbes Abbey in Belgium, then became Bishop of Worms where he was a canonist (1026)[21]

Post-Schism Orthodox saints

• Venerable Abramius of Smolensk, Archimandrite, Wonderworker of Smolensk, (1220)[12][23] (see also: August 21)
• New Martyr Theocharis of Neapolis, Cappadocia (1740)[1][24][note 14]

New martyrs and confessors

• New Hieromartyr Vladimir Chetverin, Priest (1938)[9]
• New Martyrs of Estonia (1944-1955):[25][26][27][note 15]

• New Hieromartyr Peeter (Pähkel), Bishop of Tartu and Pechory (1948)[note 16]
• New Hieromartyr Alypy (Ivlev), Archimandrite (1950)
• New Hieromartyr Vladimir Irodionov, Protopresbyter (1945)[28]
• New Hieromartyr Ioann Vark, Priest (1952)[note 17]
• New Hieromartyr Leonid Lavrov, Priest (1954)
• New Hieromartyr Seraphim Ulyanov, Priest (1955)
• Martyr Alexander Gadalin, church warden (1951)
• Martyr Andrei Punsun (1955)

Other commemorations

• Repose of Hieromonk Seraphim Rose of Platina, California (1982)[1][29]
• Repose of Archimandrite Spyridon (Lukich) of Kiev (1991)[1]

Icon gallery

• 
  Prophet Samuel.
• 
  Martyr Oswine of Deira, King of Deira and Passion Bearer.
• 
  St. Stephen I of Hungary, King of Hungary.
• 
  Venerable Abramius of Smolensk.
• 
  New Martyr Theocharis of Neapolis, Cappadocia.
• 
  New Hieromartyr Peeter (Pähkel), Bishop of Tartu and Pechory.
• 
  Hieromonk Seraphim Rose of Platina, California.

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. The Church continues to honor the passage of the Most Holy Theotokos from death to life. Just as Christ once dwelt in the virginal womb of His Mother, now He takes Her "to dwell in His courts."[2]
3. Name days celebrated today include:
   • Samuel (Σαμουήλ).
4. "In Judea, the holy prophet Samuel, whose sacred relics (as is related by St. Jerome), were taken to Constantinople by the emperor Arcadius, and deposited near Septimus."[5]
5. "In Thrace, in the time of the governor Apellian, thirty-seven holy martyrs, who had their hands and feet cut off for the faith of Christ, and were cast into a burning furnace. Also, the holy martyrs Severus, and the centurion Memnon, who, suffering the same kind of death, went victoriously to heaven."[5]
6. "The same day, St. Lucius, senator, who was converted to the faith, on seeing the constancy of Theodore, bishop of Gyrene, during his martyrdom. He also converted the governor Dignian, with whom he set out for Cyprus, where, seeing other Christians crowned for the confession of the Lord, he offered himself voluntarily, and merited the same crown of martyrdom, by having his head struck off."[5]
7. He was officially glorified by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the year 2000.[19]
8. He was officially glorified by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the year 2000.[20]
9. "At Rome, blessed Porphyry, a man of God, who instructed the holy martyr Agapitus in the faith and doctrine of Christ."[5]
10. The incorrupt body of a hermit was found buried beneath the church of Our Lady at Rocamadour in France and given this name.
11. A prince of Deira, part of the kingdom of Northumbria in England, in 642 he succeeded St Oswald as ruler of Deira, but reigned only nine years, being killed at Gilling in Yorkshire by order of his cousin Oswy. Ever since he has been venerated as a martyr.
12. Born in Gascony in France, at the age of twenty he became a monk and then Abbot of Rébais. Later he founded and was Abbot of Jumièges. He opposed the tyrant Ebroin and was imprisoned and exiled. Before his repose he also founded the monastery of Noirmoutier, restored Quinçay and helped several others.
13. The successor of St Ceolwulf on the throne of Northumbria in England. After a prosperous reign of twenty years he resigned and went to the monastery of York, where he spent a further ten years in prayer and seclusion.
14. In 1923 his relics were translated to Thessaloniki and were placed in the Church of Saint Catherine, Thessaloniki.[24]
15. On January 9, 2019, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, by decision No. 21, glorified eight people who were killed or killed in prison camps in 1944-1955.[25] See also June 14 for another group of Estonian Martys, glorified in 2012 by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
16. See: (in Russian) Петр (Пяхкель). Википедии. (Russian Wikipedia).
17. See: (in Estonian) Johannes Värk. Vikipeediasse. (Estonian Wikipedia).

References

1. August 20 / September 2. Orthodox Calendar (PRAVOSLAVIE.RU).
2. Afterfeast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. OCA - Lives of the Saints.
3. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Προφήτης Σαμουὴλ. 20 Αυγούστου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
4. Prophet Samuel. OCA - Lives of the Saints.
5. 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. pp. 250-251.
6. Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea. OCA - Lives of the Saints.
7. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Οἱ Ἅγιοι Σέβηρος καὶ Μέμνων ὁ Κεντυρίων. 20 Αυγούστου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
8. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Οἱ Ἅγιοι 37 (κατ' ἄλλους 40) Μάρτυρες ποὺ μαρτύρησαν στὴ Βιζύη τῆς Θρᾴκης. 20 Αυγούστου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
9. September 2 / August 20. Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church (A parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow).
10. Martyr Severus and 38 Soldiers in Thrace. OCA - Lives of the Saints.
11. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Οἱ Ἅγιοι Ρηγίνος καὶ Ὀρέστης οἱ ἐν Κύπρῳ. 20 Αυγούστου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
12. (in Greek) Συναξαριστής. 20 Αυγούστου. ECCLESIA.GR. (H ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ).
13. (in Greek) Πρεσβυτερου Χαραλάμπους Νεοφύτου. ΟΙ ΑΓΙΟΙ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΜΑΡΤΥΡΕΣ Ρηγίνος καὶ Ὀρέστης. Λεμεσος, 1995. 31 pp. Retrieved: 2 October 2014.
14. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Ἅγιος Λούκιος ὁ βουλευτὴς. 20 Αυγούστου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
15. Martyr Lucius. OCA - Lives of the Saints.
16. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Οἱ Ἅγιοι Ἠλιόδωρος καὶ Δοσὰς (ἢ Δοσαὶ ἢ Σοδᾶς) οἱ Μάρτυρες. 20 Αυγούστου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
17. Martyr Heliodorus of Persia. OCA - Lives of the Saints.
18. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ἡ Ἁγία Φωτεινὴ «ἔξω τῆς θύρας τῶν Βλαχερνῶν». 20 Αυγούστου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
19. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰερόθεος ὁ Α’ Ἐπίσκοπος Οὐγγαρίας. 20 Αυγούστου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
20. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Ἅγιος Στέφανος ὁ Α’ Βασιλεὺς Οὐγγαρίας. 20 Αυγούστου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
21. August 20. Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome.
22. 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. pp. 401-403.
23. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Ὅσιος Ἀβράμιος ὁ Θαυματουργός Ἀρχιμανδρίτης Σμολένσκης. 20 Αυγούστου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
24. Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Ἅγιος Θεοχάρης ὁ Μάρτυρας ὁ Νεαπολίτης. 20 Αυγούστου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
25. (in Estonian) UUSMÄRTRID KANONISEERITUD. Eesti Apostlik-Õigeusu Kirik. 26.02.2019.
26. ESTONIAN NEW MARTYRS CANONIZED BY HOLY SYNOD OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Orthodox Christianity. March 20, 2019.
27. Canonization of New Martyrs of the Church of Estonia. Romfea News. Mar 19, 2019 | 17:40.
28. (in Russian) Ирадионов Владимир Николаевич (1885). Открытый список. Retrieved: 20 March 2019.
29. 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. 61.

Sources

• August 20 / September 2. Orthodox Calendar (PRAVOSLAVIE.RU).
• September 2 / August 20. Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church (A parish of the Patriarchate of Moscow).
• August 20. OCA - The Lives of the Saints.
• 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. 61.
• Menologion: The Twentieth Day of the Month of August. Orthodoxy in China.
• Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes. New Martyred Soldiers For Christ Our Lord. January 20, 2004.
• August 20. 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. pp. 250–251.
• 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. pp. 401–403.

Greek Sources

• Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) 20 ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΟΥ. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
• (in Greek) Συναξαριστής. 20 Αυγούστου. ECCLESIA.GR. (H ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ).

Russian Sources

• (in Russian) 2 сентября (20 августа). Православная Энциклопедия под редакцией Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Кирилла (электронная версия). (Orthodox Encyclopedia - Pravenc.ru).