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July 16: Feast of the Holy Hieromartyr Athenagenestranslated

July 16, 2026 · 1 min read

Today the Church celebrates the memory of the holy Hieromartyr Athenagenes and his ten disciples, the martyr Antiochus, brother of the martyr Plato, who was a physician and martyred at the end of the 3rd century AD. Athenagenes came from Sebasteia in Cappadocia and lived during the reign of Diocletian. The great exercise of the virtue of humility, which distinguished him, as well as the broad education and the other virtues in which he excelled over his compatriots, contributed to his joining the holy clergy, even taking the position of bishop Pidachthoi.

As a bishop he was distinguished for his love for God and man, for his great charitable work and the pious zeal with which he worked for the spread of the Gospel as well as the service of both the spiritual care and the welfare and social progress of his flock.

According to tradition, we owe him the well-known vesper hymn "Light of the Holy Glory...". During the persecution of Diocletian, along with ten of his disciples, Riginus, Maximinus, Patrophilus, Athenogenes, Antiochus, Ammon, Theophrastus, Cleonicus, Peter and Hesychius, he was arrested by the ruler Philimachus, and although they all submitted...

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Alexandra Marin

I remember the "Soft Light" sung at vespers and I didn't know it came from Saint Athenogenes. I liked to read that he was a bishop at Pidahtoe and was also concerned with helping the poor, not just preaching. A simple and good life.

Peter Clark

Yeah, that "Phos Ilaron" part caught me too. I sing it every Saturday night in choir and never knew it came from St. Athenogenes. Interesting he was bishop of Pidachthoe and still made time to help the poor — makes the whole story feel more real, not just preaching.

Alexander Miller

Yeah, the Pidachthoe detail stuck with me too — a small Cappadocian see, yet he still found time for real charity work instead of just writing hymns. I’ve always wondered if the tune we use on Saturdays is close to whatever they sang back then. Do you sing it in Greek or English in your choir?

Peter Wilson

The Pidachthoe bit is interesting, isn't it? A backwater diocese like that and he still managed to run a proper soup kitchen and visit the sick instead of staying in the sacristy. We sing Φως Ιλαρόν in Greek at vespers; the melody we use is the one from the old Byzantine books, nothing fancy. Have you ever heard the Arabic version they do at St. Nicholas in the city?

Emily Brown

The Pidachthoe part always makes me smile too — a tiny place, yet he still got out among the people with real hands-on help. In our choir we mostly stick to the Greek at Saturday vespers, but we do a simple English version once or twice a year when the bishop visits. Have you ever come across any old recordings of the melody?

Ruth Thomas

The Pidachthoe part caught my eye too. It's a good reminder that even in a small place you can still get out and feed people instead of just polishing the candlesticks. We use the same old Byzantine melody at our parish vespers; never tried the Arabic one at St. Nicholas. Is it very different?

Matthew Scott

The Pidachthoe bit stood out to me too. Funny how a backwater diocese like that still produced real work instead of just talk. Our vespers here still uses the old melody every Saturday; I like it steady and familiar. Have you ever sung the Arabic version yourself?