St. Photinia the Samaritan
We learn about this woman from the Gospel of John, which describes such a seemingly insignificant episode in the earthly life of Jesus.
You should know that the Jews, to whom Jesus belonged, and the Samaritans were extremely hostile to each other and communication between them was completely excluded. That is why the young woman (and it was Photinia) who came to the well was extremely surprised when Jesus asked her to give her a drink. John the Evangelist describes it this way:
The Samaritan woman says to him: How do you, a Jew, ask me, the Samaritan women, to drink? since Jews do not communicate with Samaritans. Jesus answered her: if you knew the gift of God and Who says to you: Give me a drink, you would have asked him yourself, and he would have given you living water
Imagine Photinia's shock when he told her about all her sins (and there were many of them) and preached her doctrine to her. This convinced Photinia that the Savior was before her, and returning to Samaria, she proclaimed this good news, after which many Samaritans believed that the Messiah had finally appeared and became her followers.
This meeting completely changed Photinia's life. She went to Carthage in North Africa and became a selfless preacher of the teachings of Christ, without fear of persecution from the pagans.
Miracle of Photinia in Rome
In Rome, which conquered Judea and imposed its own order there, Emperor Nero ruled in those days, mercilessly persecuting the followers of the True Faith. When the apostles Paul and Peter were executed, Jesus, returning to his heavenly Father, appeared in a dream to Photinia, ordered him to go to Rome, to Nero himself, and preach the Word of God there.
On this mission, Photinia was accompanied by five other nuns. The ascetics were immediately captured, and Nero ordered their hands to be cut off. But the Lord protected his faithful children: no matter how hard the guards tried to carry out the cruel order, every blow was reflected on them, and the wounds that they still managed to inflict immediately disappeared.
Then Nero, knowing the asceticism of Christians, decided to change tactics and prepared a real temptation for the ascetics. They settled in a palace, were served by a hundred slaves, and were fed delicious dishes. Next to them was Domina, daughter of Nero. When the emperor came 40 days later to see if the women had abandoned their faith, he found that all the slaves and his daughter had converted to the Christian faith.
Martyrdom of Photinia
By order of the angry Nero, Photinia and her comrades were flayed alive and thrown into a dry well. A few days later, when Photinia was taken from there, her wounds were healed thanks to the care of the Lord, to whom she constantly prayed, and she was still strong in her faith. They then threw her into prison, and when 20 days later they brought her before Nero and he again asked her to bow before the pagan idols, she simply spat in his face. Then the martyr was again thrown into the well, where she died. Subsequently, his relics were transferred to Crete, to a monastery of nuns bearing his name.
Congratulations to Photinia on her name day
Photinia, happy name day to you! Meet every day with a smile, lovingly, But be ready to take the blow. Value life as the most valuable gift.
Remember, you are a great fellow, You can do anything, because you are a fighter at heart. I wish you to live in a good atmosphere, to be successful in life and in your career.
***
Dear Photinia! Happy Angel Day! May your cherished wishes come true. Enjoy every day of your life. Let only positive emotions go to your head. Love to you, our beauty, and happiness!
How does the icon of Photinia help?
For those who are not firm in their faith and need to strengthen it, the icon “St. Photinia” will become a spiritual support, an aid in overcoming sinful temptations. In Russia, the icon was sometimes called "Saint Svetlana". In Orthodoxy, the icon of Photinia is considered the patroness of mental and physical health, family and mutual understanding between its different generations. They pray to the icon of the Great Martyr Svetlana for healing from fever, skin diseases, and diseases of the musculoskeletal system, and cases of such miraculous healings are indeed known.
Icon
The Gospel story about the meeting of the Savior and Photinia has been reflected more than once in fine art. Examples are the fresco in the church house of Dura Europos, made around the 3rd century (only the figure of the Samaritan woman has survived to this day), and the mosaic in the Ravenna church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo (around the 6th century).
The memory of Saint Svetlana lives on in icon painting. The most ancient icons depicting the martyr date back to the 19th century. It is believed that her images help people strengthen their spirit, overcome the temptations of sin, and gain the firmness of faith that Photinia once brought to the Samaritans. Her icon patronizes not only women named Svetlana, but also all those who suffer.
Saint Svetlana protects Her image in the house - the key to a strong family, prosperity and understanding between generations, protection from evil intentions and deeds.
Christian legends claim that upon meeting the Savior, Saint Photinia received power over the water element. Therefore, she managed to survive when she was thrown into a well by the Roman pagans, and heal people with fever. Saint Svetlana helps people with a similar illness.
St. Photinia of Palestine
Another Christian ascetic named Photinia, who lived in the 5th century, came from Caesarea in Palestine. One day the ship he was sailing on crashed during a storm. Photinia was the only one who managed to escape, clinging to the board.
He was thrown onto a rocky island, where Blessed Martiniano led a hermit life of fasting and prayer. He saw God's providence in the salvation of Photinia, began to preach the teachings of Christ to her and converted her to the true faith, after which he left the island. Photinia decided to stay and continue the hermit's feat. Food was delivered to her by ship three times a year, and she continued to fast and pray. When the ascetic died six years later, his ashes were transported to his native Caesarea and buried there.
If we touch on the meaning, the icon “Photinia of Palestine” is considered the patroness of sailors; it helps to gain faith, strengthening mental and physical health.
Who celebrates name day on November 16
A list of 18 men's and 3 women's name days, which are celebrated on November 16 according to the Orthodox church calendar.
Men's
- Alexander
- Bogdan
- Basil
- Vladimir
- Georgiy
- Egor
- Ivan
- Ilya
- Joseph
- Kuzma
- Nikolai
- Paul
- Peter
- Semyon
- Sergey
- Theodore
- Fedor
- Jan
Women's
- Anna
- Evdokia
- Svetlana.
St. Photinia of Cyprus
A thousand years later, in the 15th century, the feat of Photinia of Palestine was repeated by Photinia of Cyprus. Coming from a pious family, at a young age he decided to devote his life to serving Christ and become a hermit. Living in a cave, he devoted himself to fasting and prayer. Thanks to her ascetic lifestyle, God's grace descended on her, and Photinia acquired the ability to miraculously heal.
Soon, these miraculous healings became known not only in Cyprus, but also beyond its borders. People began to flock to Photinia to seek advice and guidance from her, to strengthen their spiritual strength and strengthen their faith. His relics are currently in the Church of the Apostle Andrew.
If you have a relative or friend named Svetlana, the best gift for her will be the “Svetlana (Photinia)” badge. Such an icon for Svetlana will become both a protector and an example of the power of faith. It doesn’t matter which of the three saints will have the “Svetlana” icon, the main thing is that it is there, and the bearer of this name knows about the feat of his three patrons.
Svetlana celebrates her name day three times a year, on the day of remembrance of each of the saints:
- Saint Photinia of Cyprus – August 2
- Saint Photinia of Samaria - April 2
- Saint Photinia of Palestine - February 26
National holiday November 16, 2021
According to the church calendar, today believers celebrate the Day of St. Anna Vsevolodovna, the daughter of the Kyiv prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich. People called her Cold, since the weather these days began to change, cold weather set in and winter came into its own.
In 1068, the first convent was established in Kievan Rus - St. Andrew's, in which Anna became abbess.
The first school for girls in Rus' was opened there, in which, in addition to the necessary basics, various women's crafts were taught.
Prayer to the Holy Martyr Photinia
O holy martyr Photino. Infinitely inspired by the love of Christ, you have shown courage, patience and great strength with your sisters, children and received enlightenment from those with you. He boldly preached the Gospel of Christ, and Christ appeared to you and everyone who was with you, strengthening and comforting everyone for the impending torment. Having come to Rome and fearlessly confessing Christ in prison, she was imprisoned, and having endured much torment, she was thrown into a well, you gave your soul to the Lord. Hear us Saint Photinus, shining with spiritual beauty and people constantly and unceasingly, in prisons and cities, preaching faith in Christ. Hear us, seeing us sinners and by the grace of Christ healing those sick with fever, that the rain of sin does not sprinkle them, but in their mental and physical health they will not weaken in good deeds and will glorify the Lord all, Father of Mercy, Almighty God, at all times. Amen.
Parable of Living Water
There is a chapter telling about the meeting of Christ with the Samaritan woman. In those distant times, Jews and Samaritans (settlers from Mesopotamia) lived in cold hostility. Preaching the Gospel, Jesus traveled through the Samaritan lands. Stopping near the city of Sychar, he wanted to drink water from Just at that moment a young woman approached. It was Photinia - April 2, new style). Christ asked her for help, which greatly surprised the woman, because he was a Jew. Jesus answered her that if she knew who she was talking to, she would have asked Him for living water, which would become the source of eternal life. Christ spoke about the Christian faith. He also told the details of her life, pointed out her sins, and Photinia immediately recognized Him as a prophet. She returned to the city of Samaria and told everyone about the coming of the Savior, after which many Samaritans believed in the Messiah and turned to the Christian faith.
Character of the birthday girl
Svetlanas are very bright and active. They strive to always and everywhere be in time. At the same time, they try not to delve into specifics and are guided by global information. Sveta’s environment is very important. The right approach to education and a favorable environment will motivate her to new achievements. If this is not provided, Svetlana will easily succumb to any negative influence.
In her family life, Sveta is a very caring wife and mother. They know how to be diplomatic, so they maintain good relations with all relatives.
Often women with this name exaggerate their abilities and capabilities. They love to be flirtatious and attract the attention of the men around them.
Holy places
The biblical story of the meeting of Christ and the Samaritan woman Photinia has real geographical confirmation. In Israel, one of the most beautiful and picturesque places that attracts thousands of pilgrims is Jacob's Well (Jacob). Next to it is an ancient temple, which was destroyed three times and rebuilt again. The well itself reaches 40 meters in depth. The water from it is considered healing.
The relics of Photinia the Samaritan are kept on the island of Crete, in the village of Fodele, in the convent named after the Great Martyr. Streams of pilgrims flock here every year to strengthen their faith and ask for help in resolving spiritual problems.
On the territory of the CIS there are many churches of St. Photinia, where her Christian feat is revered and miraculous images are located. One of these is the Church of the Great Martyr in Dnepropetrovsk.
