Daily Calendar - May 18

The 138th day of the year, 227 days left until the New Year.

Church Calendar

Great Martyr Irene of Macedonia (I-II); Virgin Martyr Sagdukhta (I); Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Unspoiled Bardzim” (1878).

The Holy Great Martyr Irene lived in the 1st century and bore the name Penelope before baptism. She was the daughter of the pagan Licinius, who was the ruler of the city of Mygdonia. Licinius built a luxurious palace for his only daughter, where she lived with her tutor Caria and surrounded by numerous maids and peers. In the palace, Penelope was visited every day by her tutor, Apelles. She was a Christian, she told the governor's daughter a lot about Christ the Savior and raised her in the spirit of Christian teachings and Christian virtues.

At that time of her life, the Lord miraculously admonished her: a dove with an olive branch, an eagle with a wreath of flowers, and a crow with a snake in its beak would fly to her window. Penelope's mentor, Apelian, explained to her the meaning of this miracle: the dove, which embodies the virtues of a virgin - humility, peace and piety, brought her an olive branch - the grace of God, which is received through baptism; The eagle, this symbol of spiritual exaltation, brought a crown of victory over the invisible enemy, as a gift from the Lord, and the raven brought a snake as a sign that the devil would arm himself to fight against her, thereby causing her many sorrows, troubles, and persecutions. After this, Penelope refused to marry, received baptism from the hands of the disciple of the Holy Apostle Paul, the Apostle Timothy, and was called Irene.

Saint Irene began to preach the teachings of Christ among the pagans and converted them to the path of salvation. In total, Saint Irene converted more than 10,000 pagans to the true faith. From her native city, Mygdonia, the saint moved to the city of Gallipoli and continued to preach Christ there. The governor of the city, Babadon, seized her and subjected her to new tortures.

But when he saw with his own eyes the steadfastness of the Holy Virgin and that she, by the power of God, would escape them unharmed, he himself believed in Christ. Along with her, many pagans from Callipolis were converted to the true faith, and they all received the Holy Light from the Apostle Timothy. After this, Saint Irene also visited other cities of Thrace - Constantine, Massembria, and others, where she continued to preach the teachings of Christ and performed many miracles in His name: she healed the sick and cast out demons. There she also endured many sufferings for Christ. In the city of Ephesus, the Lord revealed to the saint that her end was near. Then Saint Irene, accompanied by her old teacher Apelian and many other Christians, went outside the city to a mountain cave. There she made the sign of the cross, entered the cave and ordered her followers to block the entrance with a large stone, which they did. When the Christians entered the cave on the fourth day, they could not see the body of the saint anywhere. Thus the Holy Great Martyr Irene died.

Born:

1048 — Omar Khayyam, Tajik poet, mathematician, philosopher. Died in 1131.

1814 — Mikhail Bakunin, Russian revolutionary-anarchist.

1868 — Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia, was shot with his family by order of Lenin. Died in 1918.

1872 — Bertrand Russell, English philosopher, mathematician, public figure. Died in 1970.

1920 — Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, Polish theologian, philosopher, poet, playwright. Died in 2005.

1935 — Jemal Chkuaseli, singer, composer of Georgian folk songs, leader of the ensemble `Erisioni'.

1938 _ Guram Batiashvili, writer.

Died:

1799 — Pierre Auguste Caron de Beaumarchais, French playwright.

1803 — Johann Gottfried von Herder, German philosopher, critic and poet.

1909 — Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz, Spanish composer.

1911 — Gustav Mahler, Austrian composer.

1981 — William Saroyan, American writer.

Events:

1642 — Montreal was founded.

1936 — The Spanish Civil War began.

1951 — The United Nations headquarters moved from Long Island to Manhattan.

1969 — The Apollo 10 spacecraft was launched — it was the Americans' dress rehearsal for the first manned mission to the moon.

Memorable days:

International Museum Day.

USA — Armed Forces Day

Turkmenistan — Day of Revival and Unity.

Haiti — Flag Day