What Saint Day Is Today? September 16 Feast: St. Euphemia the All-Praised

If you are asking what saint day is today for September 16, 2026, the Orthodox calendar prominently commemorates Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised. The date also remembers Martyr Sebastiana, Martyr Melitina, Martyrs Victor and Sosthenes, Venerable Dorotheus of Egypt, Martyr Princess Ludmila of Bohemia, the brothers Joseph and Isaac, and St. Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus. A Marian icon known as "Look Upon the Humility" is also commemorated in traditional calendars. September 16, 2026 is a Wednesday, so the ordinary weekly fast applies.

What saint day is today: What is today's church holiday, September 16, 2026 on the Orthodox calendar

The principal saint of September 16 is Euphemia the All-Praised, one of the best-known women martyrs of the early fourth century. The calendar also includes martyrs from the Roman and Byzantine worlds, an Egyptian monastic saint, a Czech princess, Georgian martyrs, and Metropolitan Cyprian, a major figure in the history of the Kyivan church tradition.

The date also falls after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, so the liturgical season remains influenced by that feast. Because September 16 is a Wednesday in 2026, the normal weekly fasting discipline applies.

Who is the great martyr Eufimiya Vsekhvalna

Euphemia the All-Praised was a Christian from Chalcedon who died during the persecutions of the early fourth century. Orthodox tradition honors her as a Great Martyr because her witness became especially prominent and widely venerated.

She is also connected in later church memory with the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which met in the city where her shrine was located. Devotional tradition links her relics with the council's resolution of a major Christological dispute. Historically, the council itself remains important for defining how the church spoke about Christ as fully divine and fully human.

Who is the martyr Sevastian

Sebastiana is remembered as an early Christian woman martyr. Her name can appear in English as Sebastiana or Sebastiane, and it should not be confused with the more famous male martyr Sebastian.

The surviving hagiographic record is limited compared with that of Euphemia. Her place in the September 16 calendar is nevertheless stable: she is honored as a martyr who remained faithful during persecution. Careful summaries avoid adding details borrowed from other similarly named saints.

Who is the martyr Melitina

Melitina is another early Christian woman martyr commemorated on September 16. Tradition associates her with the second century, making her one of the earlier saints on the day's calendar.

As with many ancient martyrs, the church's liturgical memory is clearer than the modern documentary record. The essential point is her commemoration as a Christian witness. Her presence beside Euphemia and Sebastiana gives the date a notable group of women martyrs from different periods.

Who are the martyrs Victor and Sosthenes

Victor and Sosthenes are remembered together as martyrs. Several early Christians bore both names, so feast date and group context are important for distinguishing them from other saints.

The September 16 pair belongs to the martyrological tradition of the early church. Their joint commemoration is another example of the calendar preserving shared witness rather than only individual biographies. English transliterations may vary, especially for Sosthenes.

Who is Saint Dorotheus of Egypt

Venerable Dorotheus of Egypt is remembered as a desert ascetic. Egypt was one of the birthplaces of organized Christian monasticism, and its deserts produced communities and spiritual traditions that shaped Eastern Christianity for centuries.

Dorotheus represents the monastic side of the September 16 calendar. Unlike the martyrs, his commemoration centers on prayer, ascetic discipline, and withdrawal from ordinary social ambitions. His life belongs to the broader tradition of the Desert Fathers.

Who is Princess Lyudmila Cheska?

Ludmila of Bohemia was a Czech duchess and an important early Christian figure in Central Europe. She was the grandmother of St. Wenceslaus and is remembered for her role in the Christian upbringing of the ruling family of Bohemia.

She died in 921 and came to be honored as a martyr. For Slavic Christian history, Ludmila is significant because her life connects the church calendar with the early Christianization of the Czech lands. Her feast is widely observed on September 16.

Who are the martyrs Joseph and Isaac

Joseph and Isaac are remembered as brothers and martyrs in Georgian Christian tradition. Their joint commemoration reflects the strong presence of Georgian saints in the wider Orthodox calendar.

The historical details are less familiar internationally than those of Euphemia or Ludmila, but their inclusion shows the geographic breadth of the day's commemorations. Orthodox calendars regularly bring together saints from the Mediterranean, the Caucasus, Central Europe, and the lands of Kyivan Christianity.

Who is Saint Cyprian of Kyiv

Cyprian was a fourteenth-century metropolitan whose ministry was connected with Kyiv, Moscow, and the broader ecclesiastical world of Rus. He was born in the Balkans and became an important diplomat, church administrator, writer, and translator.

His legacy is complex because the political geography of the period does not map neatly onto modern national borders. For Ukrainian church history, his title as Metropolitan of Kyiv is an important part of the medieval continuity of the Kyivan metropolitan tradition. He is remembered as a saint and hierarch rather than as a martyr.

Which icon of the Mother of God is honored on September 16

Traditional calendars commemorate the Icon of the Mother of God known as "Look Upon the Humility" on September 16. The image is known by several translated titles because its Church Slavonic name can be rendered differently in English.

The icon has a particular connection with the Kyivan devotional tradition. As with all Orthodox icon veneration, honor shown to the image is understood as passing to the person depicted. The material icon itself is not treated as a separate object of divine worship.

Is there a fast on September 16, 2026

Yes. September 16, 2026 falls on a Wednesday, one of the ordinary weekly fast days in Orthodox practice. The exact dietary rule can vary according to local typikon, parish guidance, health, and individual circumstances.

The date also follows the Exaltation, but the reason for the weekly fast on September 16 is primarily that it is Wednesday. General calendar information should not override medical or nutritional needs, especially for children, adolescents, pregnant people, or anyone with a health condition.

What is important to know about the church holiday of September 16, 2026

September 16 is centered on Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised but includes a remarkably broad group of saints: women martyrs, an Egyptian monk, a Czech princess, Georgian brothers, and Metropolitan Cyprian of Kyiv. The day therefore spans several centuries and regions of Christian history.

Because it is Wednesday, the ordinary weekly fast applies. There is no blanket church prohibition on work or household duties. The most useful distinction is between liturgical observance—prayer, worship, remembrance, fasting where appropriate—and folk prohibitions that are not universal church rules.

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.

September 16 is also a good example of why English church calendars can look inconsistent even when they describe the same commemorations. Names such as Euphemia, Sebastiana, Ludmila, Cyprian, and the title of the Marian icon may appear in several transliteration or translation forms. The feast date and saint's title are more reliable identifiers than spelling alone. For Ukrainian readers, Cyprian's commemoration and the Kyivan association of the icon give the date a local historical dimension alongside the older saints of Chalcedon, Egypt, Bohemia, and Georgia.