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Venerable-MartyrUnknown

Monastic Martyr Paul of the Lavra of Mount Athos

Also known as Paul of Mount Athos

A monk of the Great Lavra of Mount Athos who suffered martyrdom for Christ; few details of his life are preserved.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Monastic Martyr Paul of the Great Lavra of Mount Athos

Life

Monastic Martyr Paul of the Lavra of Mount Athos was a monk of the Great Lavra who is venerated as a martyr for Christ. He is commemorated on May 22.

Almost nothing of his life is preserved. The Orthodox Church in America's synaxarion records only his title and feast day, stating that no information on his life is available. No date, century, or circumstances of his martyrdom is attested in the accessible sources, and he does not appear in the Prologue of Ohrid or in the standard reference wikis.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide
KontakionTone 2

As a venerable and proven ascetic, as an honorable and renowned martyr,
and as a model of the desert life, O most exalted Paul,
we sing hymns of praise to you,
for you have trampled upon serpents.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 1

The image of God was truly preserved in you, O Father,
for you took up the Cross and followed Christ.
By so doing you taught us to disregard the flesh for it passes away
but to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore your spirit, venerable Paul, rejoices with the angels.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Contributions & Legacy

1 contributionsReadHide

Sources and the State of the Record

The surviving record for this saint is exceptionally thin. The OCA synaxarion entry for May 22 lists him by title only — "Monastic Martyr Paul of the Lavra, Mount Athos" — alongside the other commemorations of that day, including the Martyr Basiliscus of Comana, the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Saint John-Vladimir, Blessed James of Borovichi, the Righteous Melchizedek, and the Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, and explicitly notes that no information on his life is available.

He does not appear in the Prologue of Ohrid for May 22, which lists other commemorations of that day, and no entry for him was found in the standard Orthodox reference wikis. His connection to the Great Lavra — founded in 963 by Saint Athanasius the Athonite — and his rank as a monastic martyr are the only details attested.

Member ofReadHide
Synaxis of All Saints of Mount Athos
Synaxis
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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints