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Orthodox Saints
Still
under construction
These are Saints who are well represented in the Churches in
Cyprus and ones I have found with significant rituals connected to them
Click on the pictures for details about the life of the saint
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Ayios Yeoryios 4C
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Ayios Dimitrios
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Fresco
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Icon
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Panayia Forviotissa
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Apostolos Varnavas
Monastery
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Asinou
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Salamis
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Waiting
for picture
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Ayios Phanourios
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40 Martyrs of Sebasteia
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Kosmas & Damianos
4C
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4C
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a.k.a. Anargyroi
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This is not my picture
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Icon
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I will find one
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Ayia Saranda Cave
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This is not my picture
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Protoras
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I will find one
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| Ayios
Paraskevi |
Ayios Kyriaki |
Ayios
Thekla 1C |
Ayia Marina |
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Icon
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Fresco |
Icon |
Icon |
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Apostolos Varnavas
Monastery
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Archangel Michael |
Apostolos
Varnavas Monastery
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Holy Cross Church |
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Salamis
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Pedoulas |
Salamis |
Pedhoulas |
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Ayia Aikaterina
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Ayia Barbara 7C |
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This is not my picture
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I will find one
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This icon is not |
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found in Cyprus |
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Ayios Zosimas |
Ayia Maria of Egypt 4C |
Ayios Onoufrios
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Modern Fresco |
Modern Fresco |
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Monastery |
Monastery |
Icon
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Ayia Napa |
Ayia Napa |
St Onoufrios Chapel
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near Makheras
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Ayios
Yeoryios
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a.k.a. Saint George |
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Orthodox Name Day is April 23 and the meaning of
the name is farmer
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The legend about the dragon was very popular amongst the crusaders.
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At this time there was a
terrible dragon in Libya who ate a virgin, chosen by lot, every day. The turn
came to the king's daughter, and Ayios Yeoryios defeated the monster and dragged it
into town by the princess's girdle. He then killed it and had five oxen drag it
into the sea.
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There are more that sixty churches dedicated to Ayios Yeoryios in
Cyprus
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In art, Ayios Yeoryios is depicted as a young warrior often mounted
on a white horse and slaying a dragon. His shield and lance pennant are
a red cross on a white background. Generally there is a princess
near him, and often there is a young slave boy as a saddle companion
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Ayios
Dimitrios
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Orthodox Name Day is October 26 and the meaning
of the name is ?
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Ayios Dimitrios, the Great Martyr and
Myrovletes (myrrh-emitting), was born in Thessalonica 3C
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Most of what we know about him is based on legend. He was probably killed in
Dalmatia, under the rule of emperor Diocletian.
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In art, Ayios Dimitrios is depicted as a warrior, often on a red horse, slaying
a soldier
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The
Forty Martyrs of Sebasteia
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Orthodox Name Day is March
9
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A garrison of 40 Roman soldiers were stationed in this remote Armenian
town during 4C
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While they were bold,
courageous soldiers, they were also devout Christians. Upon hearing of this in
Rome, the infuriated Emperor issued an edict, stating that those throughout the
Empire who would not worship pagan gods would be tortured and put to death.
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An
additional contingent of soldiers was sent to Sebasteia to see exactly where the
loyalties of these 40 Christians actually stood.
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It was bitterly cold in Sebasteia at that time
of the year, and these soldiers were forced to remove their clothes and stand in
the middle of a frozen lake, looking across the waters at the glowing fires
heating the baths where they could go if they would renounce their faith
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One of the
forty drifted away and fled to the bath; and as he touched to the warmth,
straightaway he melted. And so he gave up his soul
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As death approached, a band of angels came down from heaven and placed
crowns on the heads of these dying Saints. It is said that one of the Roman
guards was so moved by this sight that he removed his own garments and
rushed to die himself at the side of these Christian warriors.
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The connection with Cyprus, according to one legend is
that, once the group became forty again, they came out of the lake and
travelled to Cyprus through Turkey |
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In art, the 40 martyrs of Sebasteia are depicted in undergarments,
shoulders drawn up and arms held to protect their bodies from the cold.
Martyr's crowns are suspended above their heads.
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Ayii Kosmas
& Damianos
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Orthodox Name Day is November 1
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They are known as the Anargyroi and the
meaning of the name is without silver
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Twin brothers and physicians
who accepted no payment
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The two suffered no injury from water, fire, air, nor on the cross during
tortures or their martyrdom in 3C
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Many fables grew up about the brothers,
many associated with the cult classic pair of brothers Castor and
Pollux
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In art, they are shown standing side by side and depicted as physicians bearing insignia of their
profession in the form of ointments, phials
and medical emblems
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Ayios
Onouphrios
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a.k.a. Ayios Humphrey
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Orthodox Name Day is June 12 and the meaning of
the name is ?
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Ayios Onouphrios lived as a hermit in the desert in Egypt 4C
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He never came to Cyprus
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He was buried in a hole in a mountainside which immediately
disappeared
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In art Ayios Onouphrios is depicted semi-naked, covered only in his
own long hair and a loin cloth of leaves, hence his patronage of weavers
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Ayios
Phanourios
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Othhodox Name Day is August 27 and the meaning
of the name is to reveal
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His story is verified only through an icon discovered there which
depicts him as soldier who was tortured and martyred on the island of
Rhodes
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The Patron of Lost Articles,& Protection Of Priests |
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It
is an Eastern Orthodox
custom in Cyprus that, if you have lost something and you ask Ayios Phanourios
for help, you bake a cake for St.
Phanourios
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For a Greek style discussion on Ayios Phanourios go to Cakes
and Miracles
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In art, Ayios Phanourios is depicted as a warrior in armour, holding a
spear or sometimes a cross with a burning candle on top
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Ayia
Varvara
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Orthodox Name Day is December 4 and the meaning
of the name is stranger
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The story we know about Ayia Varvara is based on legend.
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Ayia Varvara 7C was the daughter of a pagan who converted to
Christianity.
When her father found out he shut her up in a tower and then killed her by
decapitation. For this he was struck by lightning.
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Hence her patronage of architects,
construction workers, prisoners and firework makers.
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An old superstition concerning St. Barbara is that if you light a candle on her
day you will die a natural death.
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In art, Ayia Varvara is depicted as a princess holding either a palm
of martyrdom or a chalice of a happy death. There is usually a tower, an
ostrich feather signifying her virginity and sometimes she is trampling
a Saracen
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Ayia
Thekla
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Orthodox Name Day is September 24 and the
meaning of the name is
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A legendary saint who is said to have heard Saint Paul preach outside
her window and converted
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Her fiancee was angered by this and had the authorities imprison Saint
Paul
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Ayia Thekla visited him and was caught and sentenced to die by fire, but rain fell
and put it out.
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Later on Ayia Thekla followed St. Paul dressed as a boy. They moved into a house
in Antioch where a young man called Alexander fell in love with her. When she
refused him he had her revealed and arrested.
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She was thrown to the wild beasts,
but one of the lions defended her. Ayia Thekla was then thrown into the sea but
was once again rescued.
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Eventually Ayia Thekla became a recluse, and died as such in Seleucia.
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In art, Ayia Thekla is depicted as ?
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Ayia
Aikaterina
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a.k.a. Saint Catherine of Alexandria
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Orthodox Name Day is November 24
and the meaning of the name is pure
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Ayia Aikaterina was of noble birth
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The possible connection to Cyprus is that some sources mention her as
being the daughter of a 7C King
of Cyprus
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When she was 18years old, well educated and well spoken, she offered
to debate the pagan philosophers
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Many were converted by her arguments
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Aikaterina was sentenced to torture on the wheel. Torture by wheel refers to the cult of the great goddess who dances on the
fire wheel and was worshipped particularly in Sinai. When she
touched it, the wheel was destroyed
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When she was beheaded, her body was taken by the Angels
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Her reputation for learning and wisdom led to her patronage of
librarians and teachers
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Her debating skill and persuasive language has led to her patronage of lawyers
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In art, Ayia Aikaterina is depicted as
a regal young woman often shown arguing with pagan philosophers or
with the wheel she was tortured with.
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Ayia Kyriaki
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Orthodox Name Day is July 7 and the meaning of
the name is dedicated to God
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Kyriaki was born to wealthy parents in Nicodemia in 3C
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A potential suitor denounced the family. Her parents were exiled after
torture.
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Kyriaki told her torturer, "There is no way that you can turn me
from my faith.
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Throw me into the fire - I have the example of the Three
Children; throw me to the wild beasts - I have the example of Daniel;
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hrow me
into the sea - I have the example of Jonah the prophet;
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put me to the sword - I
shall remember the honoured Forerunner. For me, to die is life in Christ."
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He then ordered her to be beheaded.
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In art, Ayia Kyriaki is the personification of Sunday and she is
depicted as a young woman holding medallions of saints representing the
other six days of the week
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Ayia
Paraskevi
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Orthodox Name Day is July 26 and the meaning of
the name is the personification of Good Friday
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Ayia Paraskevi was born supposedly on a Friday, in a village outside Rome
2C
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From an early age she studied the Holy Scriptures and lived like a nun,
converting many to the Christian faith. She never came to Cyprus
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She was martyred for her faith by decapitation
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In art, Ayia
Paraskevi is depicted as a young woman holding an
icon which represents the personification of Good Friday holding the image of
the Man of Sorrow
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Ayia Maria of
Egypt and Ayios Zosimas
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Orthodox Name Day is April 1
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Ayia Maria was born in Egypt 4C
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She converted after leading a life as an actress and courtesan in
Alexandria and withdrew into the desert where she lived for fifty years
in complete solitude
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She met the hermit Zosimas and told him her
life story. She then begged him to give her the
Holy Communion.
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After a year, on Easter Thursday he did, and then went away
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One year later, he
returned only to find Ayia Maria's body with a letter addressed to him. Ayia
Maria wrote that she had given up her spirit the very same day he gave her the
Communion. She asked him to bury her body and pray for her, which he did.
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In art, Ayia Maria is depicted as an older woman semi naked with a
rather wild looking appearance
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Ayia Marina
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Orthodox Name Day is July 17 and the meaning of
the name is ?
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Ayia Marina was the daughter of a pagan man
in 3C Since her mother had died when she was born, her father let
her be brought up by a Christian woman
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When Ayia Marina had become Christian herself she vowed never to marry. Her
father tried to talk her into marrying the king. When she
refused, the king was infuriated and ordered her to sacrifice to the pagan gods.
When she also refused to do this, the king had her tortured.
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Ayia Marina endured the torments by praying, and the king had her imprisoned.
There, the Devil tried to scare her but failed three times and was finally
beaten by her when she fought him with a hammer.. A dragon came to her and tried
to swallow her, but again, Ayia Marina endured.
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She was finally beheaded by the king, but preached and prayed until the very
last moment and many were converted. The executioner hesitated to kill her, but
she talked him into it
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In art, Ayia Marina is depicted as a young woman
sometimes holding a black Satan by one horn
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Ellie-Bee's Hive 
