Martyr Varipsav (Barypsabas)

The Martyr Varipsav (Barypsabas) is venerated as the keeper of the Blood of Christ. According to tradition, a righteous man named James, who was present at the Crucifixion of the Savior on Golgotha, collected in a vessel — by one account made from a gourd — the Blood and water that flowed from the pierced side of the Lord Jesus Christ. This relic was later entrusted to a hermit, who passed it on to Varipsav. Taking upon himself the labor of guarding this great treasure, Varipsav worked many healings of the sick through it and became renowned among Christians as a wonderworker. News of these miracles reached pagans, who attacked him by night hoping to seize the relic for profit; they killed him, but the Blood of Christ itself remained hidden and was preserved by his disciples. A church was later built in his honor in Constantinople.