He was born in Njeguši in 1749 and became a monk at the age of 12. After the death of Metropolitan Arsenij (Plamenac) in 1782, he became the metropolitan and lord of Montenegro. He spent his life "with a sword in one hand and a cross in the other", fighting to preserve the freedom of the Montenegrin people, whom he ruled, and to establish the Orthodox faith in them. At the same time, he reconciled the warring Montenegrin tribes, and fought against the Turks and the French. He is considered the founder of Montenegrin statehood. Although he was the spiritual and secular leader of his people, he lived in a cramped, cold cell, pleasing God with his monastic asceticism. He reposed in 1830. His miraculous relics rest in the Cetinje Monastery, where he spent his earthly life.

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke.

Saint Luke, a native of Antioch of Syria, was one of the 70 apostles of Jesus Christ and a collaborator of the Holy Apostle Paul (2 Tim 4:10). He came from an enlightened Greek background. From an early age, Luke devoted himself to science. Having studied Jewish law, he also learned the art of healing and became acquainted with Greek philosophy, and he knew the Greek and Egyptian languages ​​perfectly. Hearing about Christ, Saint Luke arrived in Palestine, where he began to follow the Savior continuously. Later, as one of the 70 disciples, he was sent by the Lord to give the first sermon on the Kingdom of Heaven (Luke 10:1-3). Saint Luke was also one of the first disciples to whom the risen Christ appeared – this happened when Luke and another disciple – Cleopas were walking to Emmaus.

Saint Symeon Metaphrastus, who compiled the life of the holy apostle and evangelist Luke, drawing on the testimonies of the ancient church writers Origen, Clement of Alexandria and the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, writes that, after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, Luke remained for some time in Jerusalem. Then he went to Antioch, where there were already several disciples.

Stopping in the Samaritan city of Sebaste to preach the Gospel, he took the right hand of the prophet John the Baptist and carried it, as a precious Christian relic, to Antioch. Here Luke met the Holy Apostle Paul during his second missionary journey, which took place around 50 AD. From there they both went to Greece to preach the Word of God there.

After the martyrdom of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Saint Luke left Rome and preached throughout Achaia, Libya, Egypt, and Thebaid. The Holy Apostle Luke is the author of one of the four Gospels (the third Gospel in order in the New Testament), as well as the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Also, according to Church Tradition, he is the first icon painter to paint icons of the Mother of God. ““The grace of the One born of me, and mine, may be with these icons,” said the Most Holy Theotokos when she saw the icons. In addition, Saint Luke painted icons of Saints Peter and Paul. And the Apostle Luke was also a physician, and is revered as a holy physician. He died at the age of 84, when wicked pagans tortured him and hung him from an olive tree in the city of Thebes in Boeotia.

Saint Julian and Didymus the Blind.