Cornelius Day: Who is the Hieromartyr Cornelius Sotnik and why Pskovites should remember him

The Orthodox Church on September 26 remembers the Hieromartyr Cornelius Sotnik, one of the first pagans to adopt Christianity. According to the national calendar, Cornelius Day is celebrated on this day.

Saint Cornelius lived in the first century and was a Roman centurion of the Italian Regiment, stationed in Caesarea of Palestine. In spite of his pagan origin, he was famous for his piety, generously gave alms and constantly prayed. The evangelist Luke said that Cornelius “feared God with all his house.”.

A turning point in his life was the appearance of an angel: he ordered to send for the Apostle Peter. At the same time, Peter received a vision, the meaning of which was that the Gospel was intended not only for Jews but also for Gentiles. When the apostle came to Cornelius, the Holy Spirit descended on him and his loved ones, and they were baptized. Thus Cornelius became the first pagan to enter the Church of Christ. Later he was appointed bishop and preached the Gospel, completing the earthly path with a martyr’s death for the faith.

In the Orthodox calendar, the memory of Cornelius is celebrated on September 26 (September 13 in the old style) and is adjacent to the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and the memory of the Renewal of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem. This day is a reminder of God’s mercy for all people. In the temples on this day they perform services and read excerpts from the Acts of the Holy Apostles dedicated to the conversion of Cornelius.