Synaxis Synaxis of Crimean Saints

The Synaxis of Crimean Saints unites the memory of ascetics of various eras whose service or martyric struggle is connected with the Crimean Peninsula (Taurida) — from apostolic times to the 20th-century new martyrs.

The Synaxis includes: the Apostle Andrew the First-Called; Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome (an Apostle of the Seventy, exiled to Chersonesus and martyred there); the Seven Hieromartyr-Bishops of Cherson (Ephraim, Basil, Eugene, Elpidius, Agathodorus, Aetherius, and Capito — already separately covered in this database as Hieromartyr Capito of Cherson); Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril the Philosopher and Methodius (who recovered the relics of Hieromartyr Clement at Chersonesus during their 860-861 Khazar mission); Venerable Stephen the Confessor, Archbishop of Surozh (†750); Hierarch John, Bishop of Gothia; Hierarch Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome (exiled to Chersonesus, †655); Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir (baptized at Chersonesus); the Royal Passion-Bearers (Emperor Nicholas II and family, †1918); over 40 20th-century new martyrs and confessors of Crimea, including Archbishop Sergius (Zverev, †1937); Hierarch Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea (†1961), who closes the Synaxis's named roster.

The Synaxis was established in 1988 with the blessing of Patriarch Pimen, at the initiative of Archbishop Leonty (Gudimov) of Simferopol and Crimea, and timed to the feast day of Venerable Stephen of Surozh. The official expanded named list of the Synaxis was approved by the Holy Synod on March 12, 2024.

Its feast is kept on December 15/28.

NOTE: the original stub was an unprocessed image caption from pravicon.com — it has been reworked into a coherent description; the previously empty feast-date fields have been filled in. The Synaxis is clearly distinguished from the Synaxis of Cretan Saints (the island of Crete in Greece) — unrelated geographic traditions despite the similarity of the Russian names.