Friday, 16 January 2026

Veneration of Chains of Apostle Peter

Friday of the 32nd week after Pentecost

271 days after Pascha · Tone 6 · Black squigg (6-stich typikon symbol) · Fast

Saints commemorated

★ Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy Apostle Peter

On 16 January, the Orthodox Church commemorates the veneration of the precious chains with which the Apostle Peter was bound during his imprisonment by King Herod Agrippa around the year 42 AD. According to the Acts of the Apostles (12:1–11), Peter was imprisoned and fastened with two iron chains by Herod, who had begun to persecute the Christian community in Jerusalem following the martyrdom of James the Greater.

During the night before his trial, when he was to be executed, an angel of the Lord appeared to Peter in the prison. The chains fell away from him, and the angel led him miraculously out of the prison to safety. This deliverance became one of the most celebrated episodes demonstrating God's protection of the apostles during the era of persecution.

For nearly three centuries after Peter's deliverance, the chains were carefully preserved in Jerusalem. They became a source of great spiritual power, and those who suffered from illness and approached them with sincere faith received healing. The chains were revered as powerful relics of the apostolic age.

In the fifth century, during the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Younger, the Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem presented the chains as a gift to Eudokia, the wife of the emperor. Eudokia then transferred them from Jerusalem to Constantinople, either in 437 or 439, where they were publicly venerated and housed in a church dedicated to their honour.

The veneration of Peter's chains exemplifies the Orthodox tradition of honouring the relics and spiritual legacy of the apostles, celebrating their faithfulness and God's providence in protecting His Church during its earliest trials.

Holy Martyrs Speusippus, Eleusippus and Meleusippus, and their Grandmother Leonilla

The holy martyrs Speusippus, Eleusippus and Meleusippus were three brothers born to a devout Christian family in Asia Minor during the era of imperial persecution against the Church. They were reared in the Christian faith by their grandmother, Leonilla, an elderly woman of great spiritual wisdom and unwavering commitment to Christ. Under her guidance and example, the three brothers developed a profound devotion to the Lord, studying the teachings of the Gospel and preparing themselves for potential suffering for the faith. When persecution against Christians intensified, the brothers refused to participate in pagan worship and publicly confessed their allegiance to Christ. Rather than renounce their Saviour to appease the authorities, they endured torture and ultimately suffered martyrdom for their faith. Their grandmother Leonilla witnessed their steadfast courage and devotion, offering them spiritual encouragement and prayers throughout their trial. She herself is also venerated as a saint for her faithful witness, her maternal love, and her role in forming these three holy martyrs in the faith. The Church celebrates their memory together on 16 January, honouring the unity of faith that bound them across generations and their collective witness to Christ. Their lives demonstrate the power of Christian family formation and the grace that flows from one generation of believers to the next.

Saint Priscilla of Rome

Saint Priscilla of the Roman Glabrio family was an early Christian saint of the first century who is commemorated on 16 January in the Orthodox Church. She is remembered as a devout Christian and generous benefactor who hosted the Apostle Peter in Rome around the year 42 AD, providing him sanctuary during his apostolic ministry. Saint Priscilla's villa near the Roman catacombs became an important centre of Christian worship and fellowship during the apostolic age. Tradition holds that Peter established his headquarters within her household, conducting his ministry and pastoral care for the fledgling Christian community in Rome from her home. Her hospitality and support were vital to Peter's work in spreading the Gospel amongst the pagans of the Roman capital. The historical legacy of Saint Priscilla is preserved in the Catacomb of Priscilla, the ancient Christian burial place that still bears her name to this day. These catacombs contain some of the earliest Christian art and inscriptions, providing archaeological evidence of early Christian life and worship during the first and second centuries. Her generosity and willingness to risk her status and security as a Roman noblewoman to support the apostles demonstrates her deep faith and commitment to Christ. Saint Priscilla exemplifies the role of wealthy and influential women in the early Church who used their resources and position to advance the Gospel and provide safe spaces for Christian community and worship during the era of persecution.

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

1 Peter — 1 Peter 1.1-2, 10-12, 2.6-10

¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ²Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. ¹⁰Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: ¹¹Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. ¹²Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. ⁶Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. ⁷Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, ⁸And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. ⁹But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: ¹⁰Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Mark — Mark 10.23-32

²³And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! ²⁴And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁶And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? ²⁷And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

²⁸Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. ²⁹And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, ³⁰But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. ³¹But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

³²And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,