March 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

March 20 – Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar – March 22

An Eastern Orthodox cross

All fixed commemorations below are observed on April 3 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.^{[note 1]}

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

Saints

• Martyrs Philemon and Domninus of Thessalonica, in Italy.^[1][2][3] (see also: March 26)
• Saint Maria the Martyr, in Perge.^{[4][note 2]}
• Saint Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis, Egypt (c. 358)^{[1][3][5][6][note 3]}
• Venerable Serapion the Sindonite, monk of Egypt (5th century)^[1][8] (see also: May 14)
• Saint Sophronius, Abbot of the Monastery of St. Theodosius, in Palestine (542)^[1]
• Saint Thomas, Patriarch of Constantinople (610)^{[1][9][10][note 4]}
• Venerable Jacob the Confessor (James the Confessor), Bishop, of the Studion (late 8th century)^{[1][11][note 5]}

Pre-Schism Western saints

• Saint Beryllus, Bishop of Catania (c. 90)^{[1][3][13][14][note 6][note 7]}
• Saint Lupicinus of Condat, desert-dweller of the Jura Mountains, Gaul (480)^{[1][3][14][17][note 8]}
• Saint Enda of Aran, Abbot of Arranmore, monk, earliest leader of Irish monasticism (530)^{[1][14][18][19][note 9]}

Post-Schism Orthodox saints

• New Martyr Michael of Agrapha (Michael of Soluneia), at Thessalonica (1544 or 1547)^[1][20][21]
• Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa (1949)^{[1][22][23][note 10]}

New martyrs and confessors

• New Hieromartyr Vladimir Vvedensky, Priest (1931)^[24][25]
• New Hieromartyr Theodore (Pozdeyevsky), Archbishop (1938)^{[5][24][26][note 11]} (see also: October 10)

Other commemorations

• Glorification of Venerable Pachomius, Abbot, of Nerekhta (1384)^[1] (see also: May 15)

Gallery

• 
  Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa.
• 
  New Hieromartyr Theodore (Pozdeyevsky), Archbishop.
• 
  Venerable Pachomius, Abbot, of Nerekhta.

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. Saint Maria the Martyr is unknown in the Synaxaristes. However her memory is recorded in the Lavreotic Codex, as well as in the hymn in which the martyr is glorified as a "beautiful victor" (Greek: καλλίνικος), which was probably composed by the hymnographer Theophanes the Confessor.
3. "A companion of St Antony the Great, he lived in the Nitrian desert, in charge of the monastery of Arsina which contained 11,000 monks. Palladius and Sozomenes gave him the title "the Great". He entered into rest in about 366. St Serapion wrote: "Do not think that sickness is grave; only sin is grave... Sickness leads us only to the tomb, but sin follows the sinner beyond it"." (Prologue)^[7]
4. Ancient manuscripts record his memory as being celebrated on the 18th and 22nd of February, and on March 19, 20, and 22. Parisian Codex 1587, and St Petersburg Codex 227, refer to the translation of his relics on the 19th and 20th of March.
5. "This Saint took up the monastic life from his youth in the Monastery of Studium, where he became a disciple of Saint Theodore the Studite. Later he became bishop and suffered many afflictions and torments at the hands of the Iconoclasts. Saint Theodore composed a homily in honour of this Saint James (PG 99, 1353–1356)."^[12] Saint Theodore the Studite refers to a certain Jacob the Confessor who died in the year 818 AD, but there is no mention made as to whether he was bishop.^[11]
6. A service to St. Beryllus was composed by Saints Theophanes and Joseph the Hymnographer.^[13]
7. In Slavonic and Georgian calendars erroneously named as Cyril.^{[1][5][15][16]}
8. Brother of St Romanus of Condat, with whom he founded the monasteries of St Claud (Condat) in the Jura, and Lauconne.^[14]
9. Brother of St Fanchea, he was the earliest founder of monasteries in Ireland, of which the main one was on Inishmore. Sts Kieran and Brendan were among his disciples.^[14]
10. See: (in Russian) Серафим Вырицкий. Википе́дия. Russian Wikipedia.
11. See: (in Russian) Феодор (Поздеевский). Википе́дия. Russian Wikipedia.

    • Собором Русской православной церкви за границей в 1981 году был канонизован как священномученик и исповедник.