Saint Christina was from Tyre in Syria, the daughter of a pagan named Urban. Enlightened in her heart to believe in Christ, she broke her father's idols, made of gold and silver, and distributed the pieces to the poor. When her father learned this, he punished her ruthlessly, then cast her into prison. The rulers subjected her to imprisonments, hunger, torments, the cutting off of her breasts and tongue, and finally impalement, in the year 200, during the reign of the Emperor Septimius Severus.

The holy Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, named Romanus and David in sacred Baptism, were the pious sons of the holy Great Prince Vladimir. In 1015 they were slain at the command of their brother Svyatopolk-Saint Boris, on July 24 on the Alta River, near Pereyaslavl, and Saint Gleb, on September 5 on the bank of the Smyadinya River, near Smolensk. Although both had understood their brother's designs against them, they refused to take up arms against him and bring civil war upon their land, preferring to fulfill the commandment, "Resist not evil" (Matt. 5:39). The holy relics of Saint Boris were then buried in Vyshgorod, to which the holy relics of his brother were transferred five years later. Miracles were worked through the holy relics of the meek and guileless brothers during the consecration in Vyshgorod of a church in their honor on this day in 1021.

Saint Athenogorus was a Christian philosopher and apologist of the second century A.D. He probably came from Athens where he studied Middle Platonism and Stoic philosophy. He flourished during the time of the Roman emperors Marcus Aurelius (161-180) and Commodus (180 - 192).

There are some basic facts about Saint Athenagorus, his formation and his work which are drawn from his two works, preserved in a codex from the year 914, which was produced in the literary workshop of Arethas: “Embassy (or Supplication) for the Christians" and "On the Resurrection of the dead.”

Saint Athenagorus stands out among the apologists of his day because of his literary excellence and his clear and eloquent style. His writings contain quotes from poets and philosophers, and from the rhythm of his sentences, and the arrangement of his material, we can deduce that he attended a school of rhetoric. In the field of theology he affirms Orthodox teachings about the Holy Trinity, the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and reveals a strict ascetical position concerning the moral life of Christians. His work has an important place in the ecclesiastical writings of the first two centuries.

Saint Paraskeve, who was from a certain village near Rome, was born to pious parents, Agatho and Politia. Since she was born on a Friday (in Greek, Paraskeve), she was given this name, which means "preparation" or "preparedness" (compare Matt. 27:62, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, and John 19:31, where 'Friday' is called "the day of the preparation"). From childhood she was instructed in the sacred letters and devoted herself to the study of the divine Scriptures, while leading a monastic life and guiding many to the Faith of Christ. During the reign of the Emperor Antoninus Pius, she was apprehended because she was a Christian and was urged to worship the idols, but she answered with the words of Jeremias: "Let the gods that have not made heaven and the earth perish from off the earth" (Jer. 10:11). Because of this she endured exceedingly painful torments, and was beheaded in the year 140. The faithful pray to her for the healing of eye ailments.