20 December
17 commemorations of 20 December in the fixed calendar of the Church, the Menaion. Churches on the Old Calendar keep this day on 2 January of the civil calendar.
In the map: St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35-108)St. John of Kronstadt (1829-1908)
Feasts
- Forefeast of the Nativity of Christoca.org · orthochristian.com · pravoslavie.ru
Saints
- Hieromartyr Ignatius Theophorus (the God-bearer), Bishop of Antioch (107)Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰγνάτιος ὁ Ἱερομάρτυρας καὶ Θεοφόροςoca.org · synaxarion.gr · pravoslavie.ru
- Saint Philogonius, Bishop of Antioch, Confessor (322–324)Ὁ Ὅσιος Φιλογόνιοςoca.org · synaxarion.gr · pravoslavie.ru
- Saint Paul of Latrus (Latra), Greek hermit (c. 956)
Orthodox saints after the Schism
- Saint Danilo (Daniel) II, Archbishop of Serbia (1338)oca.org · pravoslavie.ru
- Venerable Ignatius, Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves (1435)oca.org · pravoslavie.ru
- Saint Anthony Smirnitsky, Archbishop of Voronezh (1846)pravoslavie.ru
- Righteous John of Kronstadt, Wonderworker (1908)Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης τῆς Κρονστάνδης (Ρῶσος)synaxarion.gr · oca.org · pravoslavie.ru
- Venerable Serafim (Popescu) the Long-Suffering of Sâmbăta de Sus, Archimandrite (1990)basilica.ro · orthochristian.com
New martyrs and confessors
- New Martyr John the Tailor of Thasos, at Constantinople, by beheading (1652)Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Νεομάρτυρας ὁ ράφτης ἀπὸ τὴ Θάσοsynaxarion.gr · oca.org · pravoslavie.ru
- New Hieromartyr Nikolai Chernishev, Archpriest of Udmurtia (east of Kazan), and his daughter, New Martyr Barbara (1919)drevo-info.ru · orthochristian.com
Saints of the West before the Schism
Saints of the Latin West before the Schism of 1054. The Orthodox Church honours the saints of the undivided Church, though few of these are in the Greek or Slavic Menaia; this list follows the calendars kept by the Orthodox in the West.
- Martyrs Liberatus and Bajulus, at Romeorthodoxengland.org.uk
- Saint Ursicinus, Bishop of Cahors in France (c. 585)orthodoxengland.org.uk
- Saint Dominic of Brescia, successor of Saint Anastasius as Bishop of Brescia in Italy (c. 612)orthodoxengland.org.uk
- Saint Ursicinus, born in Ireland, disciple of Saint Columbanus, and founder of the monastery of Saint-Ursanne (c. 625)orthodoxengland.org.uk
Other commemorations
Glorifications, translations of relics, wonderworking icons, and monks and elders remembered on the day, not all of whom are canonized.
- Icon of the Mother of God the Rescuer of the Drowningoca.org · holytrinityorthodox.com
- Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorodoca.org · holytrinityorthodox.com
The list is December 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics), read on 2026-09-25 and adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0: its sections and years, the Greek headings of the Great Synaxaristes where it cites them, and beside each line the sources it names. Names in bold are the saints the day is named for in Greek usage, checked against the Church of Cyprus.