Athanasios the Great

Archbishop of Alexandria, Father of Orthodoxy, defender of Nicaea.

St. Athanasios the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, was born about the year 297 and as a young deacon accompanied his bishop to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, where he stood against Arius in defense of the divinity of Christ. Made bishop of Alexandria in 328, he was driven into exile five times by Arian emperors yet never yielded, so that it was said of him: Athanasius against the world.

He wrote the Life of St. Anthony the Great, which spread monasticism throughout the Christian world, and many works in defense of the Orthodox faith. He reposed in peace in 373. Called the Father of Orthodoxy, he is commemorated together with St. Cyril of Alexandria on January 18, and on May 2 the translation of his relics is kept.

Feast day

On the New Calendar, Athanasios the Great is commemorated on January 18. Churches on the Old (Julian) Calendar keep the feast on January 31 of the civil calendar.

Who celebrates a name day

People with these names keep their name day on this feast:

Athanasios, Thanassis, Thanos, Nasis, Atanas, Athanasius, Thanasis, Thanasi, Athanasis, Athanasia, Nasia, Sia

Also commemorated on January 18

• Cyril of Alexandria

  Hierarch, Κύριλλος Αλεξανδρείας

  St. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, champion of the title Theotokos.

  Name days: Kyrillos, Kyril, Kyrilos, Cyril

• Theodoule the Martyr

  Holy Woman, Θεοδούλη

  Holy Martyr Theodoule of Anazarbus and those who believed through her.

  Name days: Theodoule, Theodouli, Theodoula

• Markianos of Cyrrhus

  Venerable, Μαρκιανός

  Venerable Markianos, hermit of the desert of Cyrrhus in Syria.

• Joachim of Trnovo

  Hierarch, Ιωακείμ Τυρνόβου

  St. Joachim I, Patriarch of Trnovo and Bulgaria.