Daily Calendar – October 8
The 281st day of the year; 84 days remain until the New Year.
Church Calendar
Commemoration of Arsenius the Great, Catholicos and disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Khandzta (887); the Venerable Mother Euphrosyne of Alexandria (5th c.); the Venerable Martyr Paphnutius of Egypt and the 546 martyrs with him (3rd c.); and the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Abbot and Wonderworker (1392).
Saint Paphnutius of Egypt and the 546 martyrs with him. Saint Paphnutius was an Egyptian by birth. During the persecution of Christians decreed by Emperor Diocletian, the governor Arianus ordered that Saint Paphnutius be brought before him. At the trial, he boldly confessed his faith in Christ, for which he was subjected to torture. The holy martyr was tormented by two soldiers who, witnessing firsthand that the Saint was aided by the invisible power of God, came to believe in the Savior Jesus; for this, they were beheaded. After enduring torture, Saint Paphnutius was cast into prison, where he converted forty fellow captives to the true faith; for this, they were burned alive. Some time later, the holy martyr was released and joyfully welcomed by a Christian named Nestor. Saint Paphnutius further strengthened Nestor’s entire family in the true faith through spiritual instruction. Before long, this devout family met a martyr's end for the sake of Christ. The total number of martyrs during that period reached 546. Finally, the saint was sent for judgment to Emperor Diocletian himself, who ordered that the holy martyr be nailed to a date palm tree, upon which he met his end. Commemoration of the Venerable Euphrosyne. She was born in the early 5th century in the city of Alexandria. The Venerable Euphrosyne frequently visited a monastery where the abbot served as her spiritual father. He secretly received monastic tonsure from a wandering monk, left his family home, and resolved to enter a monastery to devote his life to prayer.
Born:
1817 – Friedrich Bayern, Austrian naturalist and archaeologist, one of the founders of the Caucasus Museum's collections; died in 1886.
1864 – Branislav Nušić, Serbian playwright; died in 1938.
1869 – Komitas, prominent Armenian composer; died in 1935.
1895 – Juan Domingo Perón, President and dictator of Argentina (1946–1955, 1973–1974); died in 1974.
1904 – Giorgi Tsereteli, academician and Orientalist; died in 1973.
1907 – Petre Otskheli, theater artist; died in 1937.
1925 – Andrei Sinyavsky, Russian dissident writer; died in 1997.
Deaths:
1754 – Henry Fielding, English writer.
1869 – Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the United States (1853–1857).
1897 – Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter – a member of the Peredvizhniki (Wanderers) movement.
1910 – Maria Konopnicka, Polish writer.
1948 – Grigol Mukhadze, surgeon and academician.
1953 – Jaju (Konstantine) Jorjikia, writer and educator.
1963 – Iona Tuskia, composer and one of the founders of Georgian chamber and symphonic music.
1992 – Willy Brandt, German politician and Federal Chancellor of Germany (1969–1974).
1998 – Lia Eliava, Georgian actress.
Events:
1085 – St. Mark's Basilica was consecrated in Venice.
1600 – The Republic of San Marino adopted its constitution.
1690 – Turkey captured Belgrade.
1864 – The first Georgian literary almanac, Chonguri, was published in St. Petersburg. 1867 – Iakob Gogebashvili’s Deda Ena (Mother Tongue) was published.
1872 – Otto von Bismarck became Chancellor of Germany.
1919 – The first transcontinental flight across the United States took place.
1950 – UN troops entered North Korea.
1970 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
1998 – Canada and the Netherlands joined the UN Security Council.
2021 – Nine people died following the collapse of a residential building in Batumi. October 11 was declared a day of mourning in Georgia.
Observances:
USA – Columbus Day
Malawi – Mother's Day
Canada – Thanksgiving Day