July 1/14 Sts Cosmas and Damian, unmercenary physicians (284). Commemoration of Patriarch Volodymyr (Romaniuk) (1995).
July 2/15 Placing of the Honourable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. St Photius, Metropolitan of Kyiv. Bleseed Mykola-Askold, Prince-martyr of Kyiv (9th c.). The Princes Askold and Dyr declared war on Constantinople and arrived at its gates their armed fleet of ships. They saw the bishop of that city place what they later learned was the mantle of the Mother of God into the water which began to be so disturbed that their fleet was shattered to pieces. They then sued for peace and were baptized as Christians, bringing back with them to Kyiv missionaries from St Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople. The tremendous veneration of the Holy Mantle of the Mother of God dates back to the time of St Mykola-Askold whose tomb in Kyiv is also a great national shrine. He was martyred with Dyr by Prince Oleg.
Okhtyrska icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. This famous icon was found by the daughter of a priest in the vicinity of Kharkiv. As it was dirty, the daughter washed it and then took the water out to throw back into the nearby river (by tradition, running water is used to clean icons and it is always then discarded into rivers and never thrown onto the ground). As she carried the water, an elderly woman became inspired to tell her not to throw it out, but to give it to the sick who would be cured by it. And so it was.
To this day on the feast of the Okhtyrska Mother of God, a copy of this icon is dipped into a vat of water to consecrate it for the people’s use. It is the only example of an icon being used to bless water (rather than holy water used to bless an icon).
July 3/16 St Anatolius recluse of the Kyiv Caves (12th c.). St Anatolius, another recluse of the Kyiv Caves (13th c.). Icon of the Mother of God “the Milk-Giver” of Hilandar on Mt Athos.
July 4/17 New Hieromartyr St Nilus of Poltava (1918). Commemoration of Staretz Tikhon Pelech (1979).
July 6/19 St Sisoy of the Kyiv Caves (13th c.). Uncovering of the relics of St Juliana, Princess of Olshansk (1540) She reposed at the age of 16 and was enshrined in the Kyiv Caves monastery among the Holy Fathers.
Commemoration of Jan Hus and Jerome of Prague (Taras Shevchenko wrote movingly of Jan Hus's death by burning at the stake in his poem "Shafariku" and Hus was enthusiastically honoured by the Cyrillo-Methodian Pan-Slavic movement of the 19th century. The Czech Orthodox Church has issued an official icon of both Jan Hus and Jerome with liturgical propers for their future Glorification). See Master Jan Hus and Some Bohemian Reflections.
July 7/20 The Miraculous Icon of our Lord "Not Made by Hands" in the Church of Sts Boris and Hlib at Kharkiv.
July 8/21 Great-martyr Saint Procopius of Caesarea (303) Together with Saints Constantine and Helen, he is the patron saint of marriage, invoked during the Mystery of Crowning.
July 9/22 Venerable Saint Gabriel of Mt Athos and Odessa. Commemoration of the Holy Hierodeacon Melchizedek of the Roslavl Forrests (1840 – a Ukrainian Holy Elder who lived to be over 100 years old).
July 10/23 St Anthony of the Kyiv Caves, founder of monasticism in Rus’. St Silouan of the Kyiv Caves (15th c.).
July 11/14 The Holy Equal to the Apostles Olha, High Queen of Kyivan Rus’ in baptism called Helen (969).
July 12/25 Martyr St Theodore the Varangian and his son, St John at Kyiv (983).
July 14/27 Glorification of St Theophilus, fool for Christ of the Kyiv-Bratsky and Kyiv Caves Monasteries (1853).
July 15/28 Holy Equal to the Apostles and High King Volodymyr (Basil in holy Baptism), enlightener of Kyivan Rus’-Ukraine. Venerable St Job (Kundria), Archimandrite of Uholsk (1985). Commemoration of the anniversary of the Baptism of Ukraine in 988. Feast of All Saints of Kyiv.
July18/31 St John the Much-suffering of the Kyiv Caves (1160). St Pambo, Recluse of the Kyiv Caves (1241).
July 19/August 1 Uncovering of the relics in 1903 of St Seraphim of Sarov of the Kyiv Caves (1833). St Roman, Prince of Ryazan (1270). St Paisius of the Kyiv Caves (14th c.).
July 20/August 2 Holy and Glorious Prophet Elias (9th c. BC). Uncovering of the relics in 1649 of the Holy Hieromartyr St Athanasius (Filipovich) Ihumen of Brest-Litovsk (1648). Martyrs St Maria of Paris (1945) with her son St Yurij and others in Paris (1944). Holy Venerable Martyrs of the Kyiv Zverynetsky Caves Monastery, martyred by the Polovtsi in 1097 (their names and number known to God alone).
July 21/August 3 St Onuphrius the Silent of the Kyiv Caves (13th c.). St Onesimus, recluse of the Kyiv Caves (13th c.) Uncovering of the relics of St Anna, Princess of Kashin, wife of St Michael of Tver (1368).
July 23/August 5 Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaiv, which saved the monastery from the assault of the Turks and Tatars (1675).
This celebrated event in the history of Ukraine also involved the appearance of St Job of Pochaiv. Eye-witnesses at the monastery saw the artillery being shot at it turn back and fall upon the invaders. It is interesting that the monastery later received several Turkish converts from among the soldiers who were there at that time who were baptized and tonsured into the monastic state. The miracle of the appearance of the Most Holy Mother of God occurred following the singing of the first Kontakion of the Akathist to the Theotokos. Ever afterwards, that Kontakion became a much-loved and recited prayer in and of itself among Ukrainians.
July 24/August 6 Holy Passion-bearers Sts Boris and Hlib, in holy baptism Roman and David (1015). St Polycarp, archimandrite of the Kyiv Caves (1182). Holy New Martyrs of Mharsk Monastery near Poltava: St Ambrose the Ihumen, Hieromonks Sts Arcadius, Ionannicius, Jonah, Joseph, Nicanor, Athanasius, Theophan, Serapion, Nicostratus and Julian, and monks Sts Ioannicius, Herman, Nazarius, Parthenius, Potapius and Dorymedon (1919). Martyr St Yurij the Hungarian (1015 - died trying to protect St Boris).
July 25/August 7 St Anne, the Grandmother of the Lord. Miraculous Spring and Icon of St Anne at the Skete of St Anne, Onyshkivtsi, Volyn (1670).
July 26/August 8 St Moses the Hungarian of the Kyiv Caves (1043 – patron of youth and of purity). St Feodosiy of the Caucasus.
July 27/August 9 Holy Great Martyr and Healer St Panteleimon (305). The holy five disciples of Sts Clement and Methodius: St Clement of Ochrid, bishop of Greater Macedonia (916), St Angelar (10th c.), St Gorazd (896), St Nahum of Ochrid and St Sava (10th c.). St Panteleimon, Bishop of Chernihiv (1142).
July 28/August 10 St Moses, wonderworker of the Kyiv Caves (14th c.). New Hieromartyr St Ignatius of Jablechna (Kholm and Pidlasia). Miraculous Icons of the Mother of God of Smolensk/Suprasl and that of “Tender Feeling” of Diveyevo before which St Seraphim of Sarov reposed.
July 30/August 12 Varholska icon of the Mother of God in Putyvl. Svyatohirska Icon of the Mother of God.
