Daily Calendar – October 29

The 302nd day of the year; 63 days remain until the New Year.

Church Calendar

The Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood before the Cross of the Lord (1st century); the Venerable Zeno of Ikalto, one of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers (6th century).

The Holy Martyr Longinus the Centurion was a Roman soldier who served in Judea under Pontius Pilate. During the Crucifixion of the Savior, the detachment commanded by Longinus guarded Golgotha, while Longinus himself stood before the Cross. He was a witness to the final moments of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

These events deeply stirred the souls of the pagan soldiers. Longinus came to believe in Christ and publicly confessed Him as the true God.

Following the Savior’s death on the Cross and His burial, Longinus and his detachment also stood guard at the Lord’s tomb. There, he and his soldiers were deemed worthy to behold Christ’s glorious Resurrection from the dead. The Jews attempted to bribe them and induce them to bear false witness, claiming that Christ’s body had been stolen by His disciples during the night. However, gold could not sway Longinus and his two soldiers. They came to a firm belief in Jesus the Savior and resolved to leave military service. Saint Longinus departed from Judea and traveled to his homeland, Cappadocia, to preach about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Upon learning of this, the Jews persuaded Pontius Pilate to dispatch a detachment of soldiers to Cappadocia to execute Saint Longinus and his two companions. The soldiers wished to let them go free—even suggesting that they escape—but the holy companions refused, as they were firmly resolved to suffer for the sake of Christ. Consequently, the holy martyrs were beheaded. Their bodies were buried at a site they themselves had designated beforehand.

Born:

1656 – Edmond Halley, English astronomer and geophysicist; died in 1742.

1797 – Gaetano Donizetti, Italian composer and representative of the Italian Romantic operatic school; died in 1848.

1896 – Tamar Chavchavadze, a well-known actress; died in 1968.

1902 – Vladimir Zambakhidze, writer and critic; died in 1974.

1928 – Giorgi Totibadze, a well-known painter.

1952 – Jemal Kukhalashvili, painter.

Died:

1783 – Jean le Rond d’Alembert, French mathematician and philosopher; born in 1717.

1911 – Joseph Pulitzer, American journalist and founder of a renowned prize in the fields of literature and journalism; born in 1847.

2010 – Karlo Sakandelidze, Georgian actor (b. 1928).

Events: