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| The Creation of the World by Our Lord Jesus Christ |
The Orthodox Church inaugurated September 1st as the beginning of the liturgical year in honor of the victory of Emperor Constantine the Great (d. 337 A.D.), over his adversary, Emperor Maxentius, in 312 A.D.. Prior to Constantine, Christianity was constantly exposed to persecution.
It was also believed that September marked the creation of the world, according to calculations using the dates given in the Greek Septuagint, and so celebrating the New Year marked the ecclesiastical commemoration of the divine act of creation by God.
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| An Ancient Western Orthodox Icon of the Founding of the World by Jesus Christ |
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| The Ancient Orthodox Calendar, Showing Lunar and Solar Calculations and the Position of the Vernal Equinox |
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| The 13 Major Feasts of the Orthodox Church |
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| An “All Saints Icon” Showing the Cosmic Reality of the Church |
The Byzantine Year can also be seen as guided by the life of the Most Holy Theotokos (the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God). We commemorate her birth on Sept. 8th, and her death on August 15th, so the year begins just before her birth and ends just after her death. In this way, the Theotokos is revealed as a guide and example for the Church.
In many icons the Theotokos is seen pointing at her Son, Our Lord in a gesture of guidance. Since liturgical time is also guided by her life, we trust her to be a worthy guide to and within the life of faith in our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.
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| A Liturgical Commemoration Calendar in Icons |
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| Calendar of Monthly Feasts and Commemorations |
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| The Liturgical Year Position Around the Life of Christ, Feasts of the Church, and the Life of the Holy Theotokos |
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| The Calendar of the Church Positioned as an Icon of the Heavenly Kingdom |
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