September 12 Orthodox Feast: The Leave-Taking of the Nativity of the Theotokos — What Saint Day Is Today

If you are checking what saint day is today for September 12, 2026, the Orthodox calendar marks the leave-taking of the Nativity of the Theotokos and honors Hieromartyr Autonomus, Bishop of Italy. The day also commemorates Hieromartyr Julian with forty martyrs, Hieromartyr Theodore of Alexandria, and Hieromartyr Cornutus of Nicomedia. September 12, 2026 falls on a Saturday. It is also the Saturday before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which will be celebrated on September 14 under the New Julian calendar.

What saint day is today: What is today's church holiday, September 12, 2026, on the Orthodox calendar

September 12 brings the liturgical celebration of the Nativity of the Theotokos to its formal close, a moment known as the leave-taking or apodosis of the feast. The principal saint of the day is Hieromartyr Autonomus, a bishop remembered for missionary work and martyrdom.

The calendar also honors the priest Julian and forty martyrs with him, Bishop Theodore of Alexandria, and Bishop Cornutus of Nicomedia. Because September 12 is the Saturday immediately before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the day's liturgical readings and themes also begin to point toward that major feast.

What does it mean to give leave-taking to the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God

The leave-taking of a feast is the final day on which its principal liturgical themes are repeated before the church calendar moves on. It does not mean the feast is being "cancelled" or that its meaning ends. Instead, it closes a defined period of celebration.

For the Nativity of the Theotokos, the leave-taking returns worshippers to the hymns and ideas of the September 8 feast one final time. This structure helps major feasts shape several days of worship rather than function as isolated anniversaries.

What does the Saturday before the Exaltation mean

September 12, 2026 is the Saturday before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Orthodox lectionary gives the Saturday and Sunday around the Exaltation their own scriptural readings, creating a short liturgical frame around the feast.

This should not be confused with the Ascension, a movable feast celebrated after Easter. The September feast is the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The distinction matters because translations from Slavic sources sometimes mix the English words "Ascension" and "Exaltation," even though they refer to completely different events.

Who is the hieromartyr Autonom

Autonomus, also written Avtonom in Slavic transliteration, is remembered as a bishop and martyr from the early Christian period. Tradition associates him with missionary activity in the region of Bithynia and with the spread of Christianity during a time when open preaching could bring persecution.

The title "hieromartyr" means that he was ordained clergy—traditionally a bishop—and also died as a martyr. This distinguishes him from lay martyrs commemorated on the same date. His feast on September 12 is one of the principal personal commemorations of the day.

Who are Julian and the 40 Martyrs?

Hieromartyr Julian is remembered together with a group of forty martyrs. Ancient church calendars often preserve groups in this way when their witness was understood as one shared event rather than forty-one unrelated biographies.

The exact personal details of every member of such a group are rarely recoverable. The liturgical memory instead emphasizes communal faithfulness under persecution. Julian's title identifies him as clergy, while the others are remembered collectively as martyrs who shared the same confession.

Who is the hieromartyr Theodore of Alexandria

Theodore of Alexandria is commemorated as a bishop and hieromartyr. Alexandria was one of the great intellectual and ecclesiastical centers of early Christianity, so many bishops, theologians, and martyrs are associated with the city across different centuries.

Because more than one saint named Theodore appears in Christian calendars, the title and place are essential identifiers. The September 12 commemoration is specifically connected with Alexandria and with a bishop remembered as a martyr.

Who is the hieromartyr Kornut of Nicomedia

Cornutus, rendered Kornut in Ukrainian, is remembered as a bishop of Nicomedia and a hieromartyr. Nicomedia was an imperial city in Asia Minor and a major setting for persecutions of Christians, particularly around the beginning of the fourth century.

His commemoration places another bishop-martyr beside Autonomus and Theodore. The repeated title "hieromartyr" in the September 12 calendar is significant: much of the day is devoted to clergy who combined pastoral leadership with martyrdom.

Is there a fast on September 12, 2026

September 12, 2026 is a Saturday. It is not an ordinary Wednesday-or-Friday weekly fast day, and the leave-taking of the Nativity does not establish a separate universal fast.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross itself, on September 14, is a fast day regardless of the weekday. That stricter rule does not automatically extend backward to September 12. Individual monastic or personal disciplines may differ, but they should not be presented as the general rule for every believer.

What is important to know about the church holiday of September 12, 2026

The date closes the liturgical celebration of the Nativity of the Theotokos and prepares for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Autonomus is the best-known individual saint of the day, joined by several other bishop-martyrs and a group of forty martyrs.

September 12 is not a general fast day in 2026. Ordinary work is not prohibited. The main calendar distinction to remember is that the leave-taking belongs to the Nativity feast, while the Saturday-before observance points forward to the Exaltation on September 14.

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.

The leave-taking also helps explain why September 12 can feel like a transition day. The church is finishing one major celebration—the Nativity of the Theotokos—while already approaching another, the Exaltation of the Cross. Liturgically these are separate feasts with different themes, but the calendar places them close enough that the final hymns of one celebration lead almost immediately into preparation for the next.

The phrase "Saturday before the Exaltation" refers primarily to the structure of worship and assigned Scripture readings. It does not mean that every Saturday before September 14 becomes a special fast or that ordinary responsibilities are forbidden. In 2026 the day is non-fasting under the usual weekly rule. The stricter one-day fast belongs to the Exaltation itself on September 14.

Autonomus and the other hieromartyrs also show why titles matter when reading an Orthodox calendar. A hieromartyr is a bishop or priest who is remembered as a martyr; a venerable saint is usually associated with monastic life; a great martyr is a martyr whose veneration became especially prominent. These titles help readers understand the type of commemoration even when a full historical biography has not survived. September 12 therefore combines a liturgical conclusion, preparation for the Cross, and a strong group of clergy-martyrs without turning the day into a set of folk prohibitions.

For readers using a parish calendar, September 12 should therefore be read as a bridge between two feast cycles. The Nativity celebration closes, the Saturday-before-Exaltation readings appear, and the saints of the date keep their own commemoration. None of these layers cancels the others. This is normal Orthodox liturgical structure and explains why a single day's entry can look unusually dense without representing several competing holidays.