What Saint Day Is Today? September 10 Feast: Sts. Minodora, Mitrodora, and Nymphodora

For anyone asking what saint day is today on September 10, 2026, the Orthodox calendar prominently commemorates the sisters Minodora, Mitrodora, and Nymphodora, three early Christian martyrs. The day also honors Venerable Paul the Obedient of the Kyiv Caves, several Apostles of the Seventy, Martyr Baripsabas, Empress Pulcheria, and Saints Peter and Paul of Nicaea. The afterfeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos also continues. September 10, 2026 is a Thursday, so it is not an ordinary weekly fast day.

What saint day is today: What is today's church holiday, September 10, 2026 on the Orthodox calendar

The leading commemoration is that of Minodora, Mitrodora, and Nymphodora, sisters honored as martyrs of the early church. The calendar also includes Venerable Paul the Obedient of the Kyiv Caves, Apostles Apollos, Luke, and Clement, Martyr Baripsabas, the Byzantine Empress Pulcheria, and Saints Peter and Paul of Nicaea.

The day remains within the afterfeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, so Marian hymns and themes continue in the liturgical cycle. The combination is typical of an Orthodox daily calendar: one date may hold a major liturgical season, martyrs, monastic saints, apostles, and rulers remembered for their role in church history.

Who are Minodora, Mitrodora and Nymphodora

Minodora, Mitrodora, and Nymphodora are remembered as three Christian sisters from the early centuries of the church. Tradition associates them with Bithynia in Asia Minor and describes them as women devoted to prayer and a simple life before they were persecuted for their faith.

They are commemorated together because their witness is inseparable in the church's memory. The accounts of early martyrs were often transmitted through liturgical and hagiographic texts rather than contemporary historical records, so details should be presented with appropriate caution. Their feast emphasizes shared faith, courage, and loyalty to Christian belief.

Who is Pavlo Poslushnyi of Kyiv-Pechersky

Paul the Obedient, known in Ukrainian as Pavlo Poslushnyi, is a saint of the Kyiv-Pechersk monastic tradition. His title refers to obedience as a monastic virtue: the willingness to perform assigned duties faithfully and without making spiritual life depend on personal preference.

His commemoration gives September 10 a direct Ukrainian connection. The Kyiv Caves monastery became one of the most influential centers of monastic Christianity in Eastern Europe, and many of its saints are remembered for prayer, humility, practical service, and disciplined community life rather than public office.

Who is Apostle Apollos?

Apollos is known from the New Testament as an eloquent early Christian teacher associated especially with Alexandria, Ephesus, and Corinth. The Acts of the Apostles describes him as knowledgeable in Scripture and recounts how Priscilla and Aquila helped him understand Christian teaching more fully.

Orthodox tradition includes Apollos among the Seventy Apostles. His presence in the September 10 calendar connects the day's commemorations directly with the earliest missionary expansion of Christianity and with the communities addressed in the New Testament.

Who is the apostle Luke?

The "Apostle Luke" named in a list of the Seventy should not automatically be confused with Luke the Evangelist unless the calendar explicitly identifies him that way. Ancient and medieval lists sometimes preserve people with the same or similar names, which can create confusion in English summaries.

The correct approach is to follow the specific daily calendar rather than combine biographies. On September 10, Luke is commemorated with other members of the Seventy, emphasizing the wider network of early missionaries who served alongside the better-known Twelve Apostles.

Who is the Apostle Clement?

Clement is another name associated with the wider apostolic circle. As with Luke, several early Christian figures named Clement appear in church history, including Clement of Rome. A daily calendar should therefore avoid assuming that every occurrence of the name refers to the same person.

The September 10 listing remembers Clement as part of the apostolic tradition. The broader point is that the church's missionary memory extends beyond a small number of famous figures and includes many early disciples whose biographies are only partially preserved.

Who is the martyr Varipsava

Baripsabas, rendered Varipsava in some Slavic transliterations, is remembered as a Christian martyr. His story belongs to the tradition of early believers whose names were preserved in martyrologies even when extensive biographical records did not survive.

Because transliteration differs across Greek, Church Slavonic, Ukrainian, and English, readers may encounter several spellings. The important identifier is the feast date and title. He is commemorated on September 10 as a martyr, not as one of the apostles or monastic saints also honored that day.

Who is Empress Pulcheria?

Pulcheria was a fifth-century Byzantine empress and an influential figure in the religious and political life of Constantinople. She is remembered in Orthodox tradition for her support of the church and for the role of the imperial court during a period of major theological controversy.

Her lifetime overlapped with the councils and debates that shaped the church's language about Christ and the Theotokos. As with all imperial saints, the historical picture is more complex than a devotional summary, but her commemoration reflects the importance later tradition attached to her public defense of Orthodox Christianity.

Who are Saints Peter and Paul of Nicaea?

Peter and Paul of Nicaea are saints associated with Nicaea, one of the most important cities in early Christian history. Nicaea is best known for the First Ecumenical Council of 325, but the city remained an important ecclesiastical center for centuries afterward.

The September 10 saints should not be confused with the Apostles Peter and Paul. The place-name distinction matters. Their inclusion in the daily calendar is another example of how identical Christian names can refer to entirely different people, and why feast date, title, and location should be checked together.

Does the post-holiday of the Nativity of the Mother of God continue on September 10?

Yes. September 10 remains within the afterfeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos. Liturgically, this means the church continues to use hymns and themes connected with Mary's birth while also commemorating the saints assigned to the date.

An afterfeast is not a second celebration competing with the daily saints. It is a continuation of the major feast's liturgical presence. This layered structure is normal in Orthodox worship and explains why a calendar entry for one date can include both a continuing feast and numerous individual saints.

Is there a fast on September 10, 2026

September 10, 2026 is a Thursday. It is not an ordinary Wednesday-or-Friday weekly fast day, and there is no separate universal fast established for the martyrs Minodora, Mitrodora, and Nymphodora.

The date also falls outside the major multi-day fasting periods. Individual disciplines or monastic rules may be stricter, but those should not be presented as a general requirement for every believer. Parish guidance remains the best source where local practice differs.

What is important to know about the church holiday of September 10, 2026

The main saints are the sisters Minodora, Mitrodora, and Nymphodora. The date also has a Ukrainian monastic connection through Paul the Obedient of the Kyiv Caves and an apostolic connection through several members of the Seventy.

The afterfeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos continues, and there is no ordinary weekly fast because September 10 is a Thursday. There is also no blanket church prohibition on necessary work. When reading older calendars, remember that fixed commemorations may appear 13 days later under the Julian style.

A final calendar note is useful when comparing sources: the Orthodox Church of Ukraine adopted the New Julian calendar for most fixed feasts in 2023, while some communities continue to use the Julian calendar. As a result, the same fixed commemoration can appear on two different civil dates. This does not mean the church is honoring two different saints or two different versions of the feast. It is usually a calendar difference. For practical observance, the schedule of a person's own parish is the most reliable guide.