Day of Remembrance of Saints Athanasius and Cyril, Archbishops of Alexandria (31/01)

Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, was born around 297 in Alexandria, into a virtuous Christian family. Since childhood, he fell in love with church worship so much that he played priests with his peers, and he himself, like a bishop, performed church services with full precision. When the boys were joined by children from pagan families, Saint Athanasius told them about Christ the Savior, and then, if they agreed, performed the baptismal ceremony on the seashore.

When Saint Athanasius turned 21, Saint Alexander ordained him as a deacon of the Church of Alexandria. After the death of St. Alexander, Deacon Athanasius was elected as his successor — High Priest of the Church of Alexandria. In 326 he was consecrated Bishop of Alexandria.

Having headed the Church of Alexandria, St. Athanasius continued his zealous struggle against the heretics, who, enjoying support at court, achieved the saint’s condemnation. In 336 he was sent into exile in Trier. After the death of Emperor Constantine, Saint Athanasius returned from exile.

Despite many years (a total of more than 20 years) of persecution and persecution of heretics, Saint Athanasius continued to relentlessly defend the purity of Orthodoxy and tirelessly denounce the Arians, against whom he wrote many messages and theological treatises. The High Priest ruled the Church of Alexandria until his blissful death in 373.

Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, came from a noble family in which Christianity was revered. Subsequently, Kirill became one of the outstanding fighters for Orthodoxy and great teachers of the Church. In addition to studying the Holy Scriptures, he studied many secular sciences, including philosophy.

Saint Cyril was unanimously elected to the patriarchal throne of the Church of Alexandria after the death of Patriarch Theophilus. Saint Cyril immediately led the fight against the furious heretics who spread in Alexandria. But seeing that persuasion and exhortations were not bringing results, he made every effort to ensure that the heretics were expelled from Alexandria.

Saint Cyril ended his life in 444; in total, he ruled the Church of Alexandria for 32 years. Archbishop Cyril's pen owns many creations, the main ones being interpretations of the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of John, and the Epistle of the Apostle Paul.

The joint celebration of Saints Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria was established for their many years of great works and exploits suffered in defense of the dogmas of the Universal Church against heresies.

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