Day of Simon the Zealot

The “International Fund of Apsny” congratulates all believers on the day of Simon The Zealot - one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ who brought Christianity to Abkhazia and redeemed our sins by his sacrifice, revealed to us love for God and faith in good.

Simon the Zealot was the son of the first marriage of Joseph, the consort of Mary the Virgin, that is, Jesus' half brother. The nickname Kananit from Aramaic translates as "zealous". The apostle Luke in his works calls the Apostle Simon not the Kananit, but in Greek - Zealot, which means the same thing. The First Miracle of Jesus Christ In the Gospel of John it is narrated that during the ceremony of the marriage of his half-brother Simon, Jesus Christ created his first miracle, namely, he transformed water into wine. Seeing this, the newly-made bridegroom believed in his brother Jesus Christ and became his zealous follower and disciple (apostle). In the Christian faith, Simon Zealot is considered the patron of the newlyweds and matrimony.

Simon Kananit lived and preached in Abkhazia in the New Athos until he was martyred.

More than 800 years later, from the Greek city of Athos Christian pilgrims came to the grave of the apostle. They erected white temple of local calcareous rocks near the grave of Zealot, and the nearby settlement has since become known as the New Athos.