On June 17, 2026, the memory of Patriarch of Constantinople Saint Mitrofan, who was a contemporary of Emperor Constantine, is honored. This day was known among the people as Mitrofan the Fertilizer. It was customary to fertilize fields and gardens on this day.
What is remembered in the Church on June 17, 2026
The father of the future patriarch, Dometius, was the biological brother of the Roman Emperor Probus. Dometius renounced paganism and converted to Christianity, and when persecutions of Christians began in Rome, he went to Byzantium with his sons Probus and Mitrofan. There he began to take lessons in the law of God from Bishop Titus.
Soon, for his efforts and labors, he was ordained as a presbyter by his teacher, and later, after the teacher's death, Dometius took his place. Following him, the metropolitan see was successively occupied by his sons. First Probus, and after his death, Mitrofan. When Emperor Constantine arrived in Byzantium, he was struck not only by the city but also by its metropolitan. He took him with him to Rome and then returned to Byzantium with his spiritual teacher, relocating the capital of the empire there.
At the First Council of Nicaea, where the Arian faith was condemned, Emperor Constantine secured for Mitrofan the title of patriarch from the holy fathers. Thus, he became the first Patriarch of Constantinople. By that time, Mitrofan was already a deep old man; he chose his successor Alexander and also predicted that a then-young reader named Paul would be elevated to the see after him. The saint departed this life at the age of 117, and his relics were placed in the church erected in his honor in Constantinople.
The meaning of the holiday
It commemorates the man who is the foundation of the Patriarchal See of Constantinople and the elevation of the role of Christianity in the world.
What can be done on June 17, 2026
— It is customary to apply fertilizers to the garden.
— One should work on the household plot.
— One should work as actively as possible all day.
— One should clean the house.
— In the evening, one should set the table for the family.
What cannot be done on June 17, 2026
— One must not be idle — this is a great sin.
— One must not go to bed late.
— One must not pat anyone on the shoulder.
— It is very dangerous to swim in open water.
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