Venerable Xenophon his Wife Mary, and their Sons Arcadius and John

Life and Conversion to Monasticism

Xenophon and Mary were noted citizens of Constantinople who, despite their wealth and position in society, were characterized by spiritual simplicity and compassion. Seeking the best for their children, the parents sent their two sons, Arcadius and John, to Beirut (Berytus) for advanced education.

During the voyage, the ship carrying both brothers was wrecked. The waves cast them ashore at different locations, separating the two from each other. Grieving their separation and each believing himself alone, the brothers independently dedicated themselves to God and became monks.

Believing their sons to be lost or dead, Xenophon and Mary in time made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. There they discovered their sons living in asceticism at different monasteries, and the family was reunited. Following this reunion, Xenophon and Mary each entered a separate monastery and gave themselves to the monastic life.

Legacy

By the tradition recorded in the synaxarion, both sons, Arcadius and John, were glorified with the gifts of wonderworking and discernment, and Xenophon and Mary likewise received from God the gift of wonderworking.

The liturgical calendar distinguishes this family from a different Venerable Xenophon, commemorated April 24 and reposed in 1018, who founded the Xenophontos Monastery on Mount Athos; the two should not be confused. No separate dedicated encyclopedia article exists for this monastic family, who are documented in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar under the sixth-century Byzantine era.