Our Patron: St. Irene

St. Irene's Apolytikion

"Not a temporal kingdom on earth didst thou obtain, but Christ thy most comely bridegroom vouchsafed thee heavenly crowns, and thou reignest as a queen with Him eternally. For thou didst dedicate thyself, unto Him with all thy soul, O Irene our righteous mother, thou boast of Chrysovalantou, and mighty help of all the Orthodox."

- Plagal 1st Mode

About St. Irene

Our patron saint was a Byzantine noblewoman of the ninth century who at one time was a candidate to become the empress but by God's providence instead became a remarkable ascetic and spiritual guide at the monastery of Chrysovalantou in Constantinople, the capital of the East Roman Empire.

Irene's great virtue was manifest in remarkable ascetic practice, including thousands of nights standing in all-night prayer. She became a spiritual mother to many monastics and those living in the world, graced by God to read the hearts of men, heal their spiritual and physical illnesses, and cast out demons.

At the end of. her long life on earth, she received a special sign of God's favor: Three apples from the Garden of Paradise were given her through the mediation of St. John, the Beloved Disciple of Christ.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, St. Irene's monastery on the outskirts of Athens, under the protection of our Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians, has become a spiritual center for her veneration and the setting for countless miracles.
By her example and prayers, St. Irene is truly a saint for our times, powerfully showing us the way to warfare against the demonic powers that today rule this passing world, and protecting us by her mighty intercession before the throne of the Most Holy Trinity.

Click here for a complete life of St. Irene.