St. Nina Equal to Apostles icon
SKU: 33610783821

St. Nina Equal to Apostles icon

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St. Nina Equal to Apostles iconOrthodox icon of Saint Nina or Nino, Equal to Apostles. Commemorated January 14th. The virgin Nino of Cappadocia was a relative of Great martyr George and the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple. Her father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, and her mother, Sosana, was the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem. When Nino reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their possessions and moved to Jerusalem. Soon

Orthodox icon of Saint Nina or Nino, Equal to Apostles.

Commemorated January 14th.

The virgin Nino of Cappadocia was a relative of Great-martyr George and the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple. Her father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, and her mother, Sosana, was the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem. When Nino reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their possessions and moved to Jerusalem. Soon after, Nino's father was tonsured a monk. He bid farewell to his family and went to labor in the wilderness of the Jordan. After Sosana had been separated from her husband, Patriarch Juvenal ordained her a deaconess.

She left her daughter Nino in the care of an old woman, Sara Niaphor, who raised her in the Christian Faith and related to her the stories of Christ's life and His suffering on earth. It was from Sara that Nino learned how Christ's Robe had arrived in Georgia, a country of pagans. Soon Nino began to pray fervently to the Theotokos, asking for her blessing to travel to Georgia and be made worthy to venerate the Sacred Robe that she had woven for her beloved Son. The Most Holy Virgin heard her prayers and appeared to Nino in a dream, saying, Go to the country that was assigned to me by lot and preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will send down His grace upon you and I will be your protector.'

But the blessed Nino was overwhelmed at the thought of such a great responsibility and answered, 'How can I, a fragile woman, perform such a momentous task, and how can I believe that this vision is real?' In response, the Most Holy Theotokos presented her with a cross of grapevines and proclaimed, 'Receive this cross as a shield against visible and invisible enemies! When she awoke, Nino was holding the cross in her hands. She dampened it with tears of rejoicing and tied it securely with strands of her own hair. (According to another source, the Theotokos bound the grapevine cross with strands of her own hair.)

Nino related the vision to her uncle, Patriarch Juvenal, and revealed to him her desire to preach the Gospel in Georgia. Juvenal led her in front of the Royal Doors, laid his hands on her, and prayed, O Lord, God of Eternity, I beseech Thee on behalf of my orphaned niece: Grant that, according to Thy will, she may go to preach and proclaim Thy Holy Resurrection. O Christ God, be Thou to her a guide, a refuge, and a spiritual father. And as Thou didst enlighten the Apostles and all those who feared Thy name, do Thou also enlighten her with the wisdom to proclaim Thy glad tidings. When Nino arrived in Rome, she met and baptized the princess Rhipsimia and her nurse, Gaiana.

At that time the Roman emperor was Diocletian, a ruler infamous for persecuting Christians. Diocletian (284-305) fell in love with Rhipsimia and resolved to marry her, but St. Nino, Rhipsimia, Gaiana, and fifty other virgins escaped to Armenia. The furious Diocletian ordered his soldiers to follow them and sent a messenger to Tiridates, the Armenian king (286-344), to put him on guard. King Tiridates located the women and, following Diocletian's example, was charmed by Rhipsimia's beauty and resolved to marry her. But St. Rhipsimia would not consent to wed him, and in his rage the king had her tortured to death with Gaiana and the fifty other virgins. St. Nino, however, was being prepared for a different, greater task, and she succeeded in escaping King Tiridates persecutions by hiding among some rose bushes.

When she finally arrived in Georgia, St. Nino was greeted by a group of Mtskhetan shepherds near Lake Paravani, and she received a blessing from God to preach to the pagans of this region. With the help of her acquaintances St. Nino soon reached the city of Urbnisi. She remained there a month, then traveled to Mtskheta with a group of Georgians who were making a pilgrimage to venerate the pagan idol Armazi.

There she watched with great sadness as the Georgian people trembled before the idols. She was exceedingly sorrowful and prayed to the Lord, O Lord, send down Thy mercy upon this nation ...that all nations may glorify Thee alone, the One True God, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ. Suddenly a violent wind began to blow and hail fell from the sky, shattering the pagan statues. The terrified worshipers fled, scattering across the city. St. Nino made her home beneath a bramble bush in the garden of the king, with the family of the royal gardener.  

The gardener and his wife were childless, but through St. Nino's prayers God granted them a child. The couple rejoiced exceedingly, declared Christ to be the True God, and became disciples of St. Nino. Wherever St. Nino went, those who heard her preach converted to the Christian Faith in great numbers. St. Nino even healed the terminally ill Queen Nana after she declared Christ to be the True God. King Mirian, a pagan, was not at all pleased with the great impression St. Nino's preaching had made on the Georgian nation. One day while he was out hunting, he resolved to kill all those who followed Christ. According to his wicked scheme, even his wife, Queen Nana, would face death for failing to renounce the Christian Faith. But in the midst of the hunt, it suddenly became very dark.

All alone, King Mirian became greatly afraid and prayed in vain for the help of the pagan gods. When his prayers went unanswered, he finally lost hope and, miraculously, he turned to Christ: God of Nino, illumine this night for me and guide my footsteps, and I will declare Thy Holy Name. I will erect a cross and venerate it and I will construct for Thee a temple. I vow to be obedient to Nino and to the Faith of the Roman people! Suddenly the night was transfigured, the sun shone radiantly, and King Mirian gave great thanks to the Creator. When he returned to the city, he immediately informed St. Nino of his decision.

As a result of the unceasing labors of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, Georgia was established as a nation solidly rooted in the Christian Faith. St. Nino reposed in the village of Bodbe in eastern Georgia and, according to her will, she was buried in the place where she took her last breath. King Mirian later erected a church in honor of St. George over her grave.

Reference: O.C.A.

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SKU: 33610783821

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4.7 ★★★★★
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pollymom
Draper, US
★★★★★ 4
Well written. Funny...out loud gafawing funny. Fun. Well crafted plot. Wonderful characters.
Format: Kindle
What a lovely surprise! A well written, well plotted. Funny. Fun. Mystery with two fresh and fine friends...Lady Hardcastle and Flo Armstrong , her erstwhile Lady's maid, Servant, Strong Right Hand Woman and friend...and...Inspector Sunderland, who finds the two so innovative and essential to the investigation of Two Murders and Some serious thefts that he is determined, and says so, that whenever they can he desires them to assist in future! I so enjoyed this first book in the series I invested in the next four...so far!...in the series. What fun...the women and now the Detective Inspector, as well, have such comical and engaging exchanges one finds herself (me) laughing so heartily she needs to pause and wipe her eyes repeatedly as she reads the story! Would highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a good, well plotted mystery and a giddy, heartfelt laugh...well, series of laughs, at the same time. Dialogue is often funny...though murder and mayhem are not!...and this is a careful blend of both....just sayin'. What a wonderful edition to a huge genre of cozy and some not so cozy mystery books. I recommend this series.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2024
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Kat
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
a quiet life???
This is a short story collection like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie have for Holmes and Poirot/Marple. The characters remind me of the Phryne Fisher books. There are four stories in Book 1 A Quiet Life in the Country Lady Emily Hartcastle and her maid Miss Florence Armstrong are enjoying some time in the country in the small town of Littleton Cotterell when they come across a dead body. They find out that it is Frank Pickering, a local man and it is thought that he committed suicide. But investigating, it seems that he has been murdered. Who did it and why? The Circus comes to town Lady Hartcastle meets an old friend George who is the manager who for a circus that has come to town. The next day, the juggler Hubert 'Huey' Parving is found dead mawled in a cage and then others began to die. Who is behind this? The Case of the Missing Case Lady Hartcastle and Flo go to the engagement party of young Clarissa Farley-Strouds. The next day, Nelson Holloway, the trumpet player with that night's entertainment - Roland Richman's Ragtime Revue. Who killed him? As they investigate, the clues lead them to possible cursed stolen jewel. The Half-Death of Gunther Ehrlichmann Florence recounts her life before and after meeting Lady and Lord Hartcastle as she and Lady Hartcastle along with Lady Hartcastle's brother hunt down a killer. Each story is tied into the other, but exciting! Must read!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2016
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Cynthia D. Vosler
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
Great read!
Format: Kindle
Absolutely enjoyable read. Great characters, can't wait for their next adventure! If you like enjoyable fast reads a good mystery and some delightful laughs this series is for you!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2026
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Sophia Rose
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 4
Fun Seeing Where it All Begins for the Fantastic Amateur Detecting Duo
Format: Audiobook
I started with book three in this series, progressed forward, and finally took the opportunity to go back and get the first book in the series. The whimsical, cozy mystery paired with historical Edwardian setting was light and whimsical. Actually, when I started listening, I realized that the first book introduced Lady Hardcastle and her ladies' maid, Florence Armstrong along with their new home and the other regular characters, in such a way that it didn't feel like the first book so much as the first of the stories that had been recorded. There are hints of their unusual, dangerous work abroad and no big explanation why the pair happened to be set upon 'a quiet life in the country' or why Lady Hardcastle and Florence have a relationship that is nearly family rather than an employer and servant from separate classes. The author trickles out the details and the reader/listener must catch them and piece them together as they go. Because I had experienced later books, those pieces stuck out easily to me. The meeting with Inspector Sunderland and the local villagers and neighborhood was fun. There are two murder mysteries that have interesting crossover people and facts. One seems to involve a dead man from the village cricket team whose death was meant to appear like a suicide and then later, the death of a rag-time band trumpeteer that played at the engagement party of the local squire's daughter. A theft is tossed in for good measure. I figured out one of the murders and part of the theft and the second murder, but the ultimate solution took me by surprise. Loved seeing the intrepid Flo able to get in some of her martial arts ability and spend time trailing along as they teased out the solution along side Inspector Sunderland. Elizabeth Knowelden is an absolute gem of a narrator and the voice of this series for me. She laid out the Edwardian country village world, the variety of genders and accents, and kept the pace and tone for this series just right. All in all, I thought this first entry was as fabulous as the later books and do not hesitate to put it out there as a good bet for historical cozy mystery lovers.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2019
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Leond
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
Must read!!!!
Format: Paperback, Format: Paperback
Surprise plot intertwined with story of loss, grief, family and sibling relationships. The book starts off normally and twists and turns. Could not put book down. Great writing and plot development. Can’t wait to read more by this author.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026

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