Which liturgy did he write?

The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, the shorter of the two Byzantine eucharistic liturgies, served on most Sundays and weekdays of the Orthodox year.

Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople

Feast day: November 13
Lived: c. 347–407
Patronage: Preachers, orators, those suffering exile or slander

Saint John Chrysostom, whose surname means 'golden-mouthed', is the greatest preacher of the Christian East and the author of the Divine Liturgy served on most days of the Orthodox year.

Life

Born in Antioch and trained in rhetoric under the pagan Libanius, John chose baptism and the ascetic life, spending years in the mountains until his health broke. Ordained priest in Antioch, he preached the great cycles of homilies on Genesis, Matthew, John and the Pauline epistles that still form the backbone of Orthodox biblical commentary.

In 398 he was taken, almost by force, to become archbishop of Constantinople. He reformed the clergy, sold off episcopal luxuries to feed the poor, and denounced the extravagance of the court. This earned him the enmity of the Empress Eudoxia and of Theophilus of Alexandria, who engineered his deposition at the Synod of the Oak.

Exile and death

Twice exiled, he was finally marched on foot in poor health toward the far shore of the Black Sea and died on the way at Comana in Pontus on September 14, 407, with the words 'Glory to God for all things.' Because his repose falls on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, his principal commemoration was moved to November 13.

His relics were returned to Constantinople in 438; the Church keeps that translation on January 27. On January 30 he is honoured together with Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs.

When Saint John Chrysostom is commemorated

The feast falls on November 13 on the Revised Julian (New) calendar used by most Greek, Antiochian and Romanian parishes. Parishes that keep the Julian (Old) calendar — much of the Russian, Serbian and Georgian Churches, and Mount Athos — celebrate it on the civil date November 26, thirteen days later. You can switch between both reckonings anywhere on this site.

See the full liturgical day for November 13, 2026

That page gives the fasting rule in force, the Epistle and Gospel appointed for the day, and every other saint commemorated alongside Saint John Chrysostom. To keep the feast, look for a parish in the USA, Canada or Australia directory, and read the Akathist hymns appointed for private prayer.

Other saints commemorated in November

Continue with the Lives of the Saints

Frequently asked

Which liturgy did he write?: The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, the shorter of the two Byzantine eucharistic liturgies, served on most Sundays and weekdays of the Orthodox year.