In the Christian Orthodox tradition, there are several ranks of holiness. Among all the saints, the saints of the Church stand out, who worked hard in the preaching of the gospel and the formation of the dogmatic teaching of the Christian faith.
Saints are called holy people who were clothed in the highest ecclesiastical dignity of the bishopric. Thus, saints are bishops, archbishops, metropolitans and patriarchs who have acquired the special grace of the Holy Spirit.
The saints of the Church are known to the Christian world thanks not only to their holy pious life. Many of these people possessed the gift of miracles, prophecy. Some saints had a brilliant theological education, others simply had not so much knowledge about God as knowledge of God (as far as possible). All these people became famous for their numerous dogmatic and moralizing treatises on which the Christian faith is based.
Among the main saints of the Church are Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. The saints lived in the 4th - 5th centuries. They are called great saints and Teachers of the Church. Basil the Great and John Chrysostom composed the divine liturgies, which are still served in Orthodox churches. All three are known for their dogmatic treatises on the Holy Trinity and the God of Jesus Christ.
One of the most revered saints in the Russian people is Saint Nicholas Mir of Lycia, who is called the Wonderworker. The saint lived in the 4th century. He is known for many of his miracles both during life and after death. Since the day of the assumption of the saint, many people, after praying to this righteous man, received their requests fulfilled.
Russia has bestowed many saints on Christianity. Among them are Metropolitans Peter, Alexy, Jonah. Among the saints of the twentieth century in Russia, the new martyrs stand out. For example, Metropolitan Vladimir (Epiphany) of Kiev, Metropolitan Benjamin (Kazan) of Petrograd, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Tikhon (Belavin).
In addition, all current Orthodox bishops can be called saints. This naming refers not to the personal holiness of a person (since few are called saints during their lifetime), but to the greatness of the hierarchical rank. The Patriarchs of the Churches can be called the Chief Priests.
