Lazarus the Righteous

Saint Lazarus the Righteous is the friend of the Lord, the brother of Martha and Mary of Bethany, whom Christ raised from the dead four days after his burial (John 11). The Gospel says that Jesus loved him and wept at his tomb.

According to the tradition of the Church, Lazarus later lived in Cyprus, where he became bishop of Kition, and his relics were brought to Constantinople in the time of the emperor Leo the Wise. The Greek calendar commemorates him on 17 March (new style, the calendar of the Church of Greece); the Church also celebrates Lazarus Saturday, before Palm Sunday, and 17 October.