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Saint Naum of Ohrid

Priest, teacher and monk
Pliska, Preslav and Lake Ohrid
Feast day: December 23; June 20 (Bulgarian Church)

Published photograph of a fresco depicting Naum of Ohrid; a hanging textile obscures part of the painting.
Published photograph of a fresco depicting Naum of Ohrid; a hanging textile obscures part of the painting. Image source: Bulgarian Orthodox Church — Bulgarian Patriarchate

A life of faith

Naum followed Cyril and Methodius in their work in Moravia and Rome. The Bulgarian Church’s received life remembers his ordination as a priest in Rome and his arrival in Bulgaria with Clement after Methodius died. He remained at Pliska before taking up teaching work when Clement became a bishop. He later established a monastery dedicated to the Holy Archangels beside Lake Ohrid. He died in 910 and was buried at the monastery.

The Eastern Orthodox Church remembers saints in prayer and commemoration. Their lives offer examples for Christians learning to live their faith.

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