Lives of Saints Archives • Orthodox Life

Supreme Commanders of the Armies of Heaven

November 21, 2020

The Eighth Day of the Month of November - A Homily on the Synaxis of the Holy Chief Commander Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers - Translated by Fr Thomas Marretta from the Slavonic-language Menologion of S... Read More...

Love Has Come: The Nativity of the Theotokos

September 22, 2020

Lives of Saints

An excerpt from the Prologue of Ochrid

Portrait of St Ignatius (Brianchaninov) by Elena Borowski

St Ignatius (Brianchaninov) and His Spiritual Heritage in Our Time

May 7, 2020

Lives of Saints

A conversation with translator Elena Borowski on the spiritual treasury contained in St Ignatius's writings, their impact on her own life, and what they might offer us in the current tumult of a worldwide pandemic.

Nicholas II and an unidentified man sawing wood during the captivity at Tobolsk.

The Romanovs’ Last Christmas: Tobolsk, 1917

December 28, 2018

Lives of Saints

The story of Nicholas II and Alexandra's final Christmas, celebrated under close watch of their Bolshevik guards. Drawn from the martyrs' own writings.

Nicholas II's children in garden under house arrest.

Romanovs Under House Arrest: A Presentation

November 28, 2018

Lives of Saints

Russian specialist and independent curator Marilyn Swezey presents the gripping story of Russia’s last imperial family under house arrest in the Alexander Palace.

Lantern of Grace

June 29, 2018

Lives of Saints

Below we publish an excerpt from the expanded second English-language edition of Lantern of Grace, by the newly-reposed Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov. Part II, titled "Vladyka's Children," recounts personal re... Read More...

Nicholas II in a window of the Imperial train

A Dossier of Betrayal

June 13, 2018

Lives of Saints

A personal reflection on the multiple layers of treason -- from the army's commanding officers to politicians and even the aristocracy -- which led to the forced abdication of Tsar Nicholas II from the throne in 1917.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Tatiana on a carriage ride in the Alexander Park. Spring 1917.

The Empress’s Nameday

May 10, 2018

Lives of Saints

April 23rd marks the feast day of St George the Great-Martyr and Trophy-Bearer and of St Alexandra the Martyr Empress (III c.). From the time of her reception into the Orthodox Church, the Empress Alexandra too... Read More...

Weeping, Sighing, and Sorrow: The Election of Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

November 30, 2017

Church History, Lives of Saints

by Jane Swan Excerpted from Chosen for His People: A Biography of Patriarch Tikhon , Paperback -- 172 pages -- $14.95-- ISBN 978-1-94269-902- 6. Available directly from the publisher or from any good bookstore... Read More...

The White Rose Memorial in the pavement at the University of Munich

Do Not Forget God!: The Last Days of St Alexander of Munich

March 9, 2017

Lives of Saints

An excerpt from Alexander Schmorell: Saint of the German Resistance, by Elena Perekrestov -- a biography of the recently-glorified St Alexander of Munch.