Name day
Photini: Name Day and Patron Saint
Photini keeps the name day on 26 February, or 11 March on the Old Calendar: the feast of St Photini the Samaritan Woman.
- Patron saint
- St Photini the Samaritan Woman
- New Calendar
- 26 February
- Old Calendar
- 11 March
- Next name day
- 26 February 2027 (New Calendar) · 11 March 2027 (Old Calendar)
- In the feast calendar
- The feasts of February · The feasts of March
The patron saint: St Photini the Samaritan Woman
Kept on 26 February, or 11 March on the Old Calendar · Holy Martyr Photini the Samaritan Woman
St Photini is the Samaritan woman who met Christ at Jacob’s well, as the Gospel of John tells. He asked her for a drink and spoke to her of the living water; she recognised Him as the Messiah and ran to bring her whole town to hear Him. The Church knows her as Photini, and in Russian as Svetlana. In the reign of Nero she preached the Gospel boldly in Carthage with her younger son Joses, while her elder son Victor, a Roman army commander, also confessed Christ. She went with her sons and her five sisters to Rome, where they were imprisoned and tortured. Placed at the imperial court, Photini brought Nero’s daughter Domnina and her servants to faith. When she refused to offer sacrifice to idols, she was thrown into a well, and there she gave her soul to God around the year 66, with her sons and sisters dying as martyrs too. The Church keeps her memory on 20 March (2 April on the Old Calendar); the Greek Church keeps her on 26 February. Her head is kept at Grigoriou Monastery on Mount Athos, and many healings of eye disease were reported at the churches built in her honour in Constantinople. The faithful ask her prayers to come to the light of Christ and to speak of Him without fear.
What the faithful pray for
- repentance and a new beginning in Christ
- courage to tell others about Christ
- those who suffer from diseases of the eyes
- families, that they may come to faith together
- women who preach the Gospel by their lives
Other saints named Photini
St Photios the Great
Kept on 6 February, or 19 February on the Old Calendar · St Photios the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople
The Patriarch of Constantinople who sent Sts Cyril and Methodius to the Slavs.
Photini in other languages
| Language | The name | Short forms |
|---|---|---|
| English | Photini, Fotini, Photina | |
| Greek | Φωτεινή, Fotini | Φώτω, Φωφώ, Foto |
An icon for Photini
We don't carry an icon of St Photini the Samaritan Woman yet. Ask for it below, and we will write to you when it is in.
Closest to it
Folding diptychSt Alina (Alena) of Brussels & Guardian Angel
Another holy woman$99$69
Folding diptychHoly Foremother Eve & Guardian Angel
Another holy woman$99$69
Folding diptychChrist (Zvenigorod Saviour) & Vladimir Mother of God
Christ and the Mother of God keep every Christian home$99$69
For every name: the Guardian Angel, given at baptism
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you: Consecration, $49.
A name-day gift for Photini
Name-Day Gift Set $213$149
A patron saint's folding diptych chosen by first name, a stainless steel crucifix and a prayer rope, in a gift box with a card giving the saint's life and feast day.
The St Nicholas the Wonderworker & Guardian Angel Folding Diptych is chosen, for the Guardian Angel every Orthodox Christian receives at baptism, and the name is filled in.
Other names with this saint
Questions
When is Photini’s name day?
Photini keeps the name day on 26 February on the New Calendar and on 11 March on the Old Calendar, the feast of St Photini the Samaritan Woman.
Who is the patron saint of Photini?
St Photini the Samaritan Woman. St Photini is the Samaritan woman who met Christ at Jacob’s well, as the Gospel of John tells.
What is a good name-day gift for Photini?
We don’t carry an icon of St Photini the Samaritan Woman yet, and you can ask for one on this page. Every Orthodox Christian has a Guardian Angel from baptism, so the Name-Day Gift Set ($149) with the Guardian Angel diptych is always fitting.
More about name days
- Name Days Explained: What They Are, How Families Keep Them, and Gifts
A name day is the feast of the saint whose name you carry. Here is how to find yours on either calendar, how Greek and Russian families keep it, and what to give.
- Orthodox Patron Saint: How to Find Yours (by Name, Day or Choice)
Your Orthodox patron saint is the saint whose name you were given at baptism. Here is how to find yours by name, by the day of your birth or baptism, or by choice, and how to keep the name day.
- Find another name