Saint Gregory Palamas

Saint Gregory Palamas (1296–1359) was a monk of Mount Athos, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, and one of the greatest theologians in the history of the Orthodox Church. He is venerated as a Father and Doctor of the Church and is celebrated on the Second Sunday of Great Lent, which bears his name.

Saint Gregory is best known for his defense of the hesychast tradition of prayer and his theological articulation of the distinction between God's essence and His divine energies. Against the rationalist attacks of Barlaam of Calabria, he demonstrated that the uncreated light seen by the Apostles at the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor was a true manifestation of God's divine energies — not a created phenomenon — and that human beings can genuinely participate in God through prayer and ascetic life.

His theology was affirmed by a series of councils in Constantinople and remains a cornerstone of Orthodox theological tradition. Saint Gregory reposed in 1359 and was glorified as a saint in 1368. His feast days are November 14 and the Second Sunday of Great Lent. Browse our handcrafted Orthodox icons and devotional items honoring Saint Gregory Palamas, made in our Ohio workshop using traditional Byzantine embroidery techniques.