SKU: 33610783821

St. Nina Equal to Apostles icon

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St. Nina Equal to Apostles iconOrthodox icon of Saint Nina or Nino, Equal to Apostles. Commemorated January 14th. The virgin Nino of Cappadocia was a relative of Great martyr George and the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple. Her father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, and her mother, Sosana, was the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem. When Nino reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their possessions and moved to Jerusalem. Soon

Orthodox icon of Saint Nina or Nino, Equal to Apostles.

Commemorated January 14th.

The virgin Nino of Cappadocia was a relative of Great-martyr George and the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple. Her father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, and her mother, Sosana, was the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem. When Nino reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their possessions and moved to Jerusalem. Soon after, Nino's father was tonsured a monk. He bid farewell to his family and went to labor in the wilderness of the Jordan. After Sosana had been separated from her husband, Patriarch Juvenal ordained her a deaconess.

She left her daughter Nino in the care of an old woman, Sara Niaphor, who raised her in the Christian Faith and related to her the stories of Christ's life and His suffering on earth. It was from Sara that Nino learned how Christ's Robe had arrived in Georgia, a country of pagans. Soon Nino began to pray fervently to the Theotokos, asking for her blessing to travel to Georgia and be made worthy to venerate the Sacred Robe that she had woven for her beloved Son. The Most Holy Virgin heard her prayers and appeared to Nino in a dream, saying, Go to the country that was assigned to me by lot and preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will send down His grace upon you and I will be your protector.'

But the blessed Nino was overwhelmed at the thought of such a great responsibility and answered, 'How can I, a fragile woman, perform such a momentous task, and how can I believe that this vision is real?' In response, the Most Holy Theotokos presented her with a cross of grapevines and proclaimed, 'Receive this cross as a shield against visible and invisible enemies! When she awoke, Nino was holding the cross in her hands. She dampened it with tears of rejoicing and tied it securely with strands of her own hair. (According to another source, the Theotokos bound the grapevine cross with strands of her own hair.)

Nino related the vision to her uncle, Patriarch Juvenal, and revealed to him her desire to preach the Gospel in Georgia. Juvenal led her in front of the Royal Doors, laid his hands on her, and prayed, O Lord, God of Eternity, I beseech Thee on behalf of my orphaned niece: Grant that, according to Thy will, she may go to preach and proclaim Thy Holy Resurrection. O Christ God, be Thou to her a guide, a refuge, and a spiritual father. And as Thou didst enlighten the Apostles and all those who feared Thy name, do Thou also enlighten her with the wisdom to proclaim Thy glad tidings. When Nino arrived in Rome, she met and baptized the princess Rhipsimia and her nurse, Gaiana.

At that time the Roman emperor was Diocletian, a ruler infamous for persecuting Christians. Diocletian (284-305) fell in love with Rhipsimia and resolved to marry her, but St. Nino, Rhipsimia, Gaiana, and fifty other virgins escaped to Armenia. The furious Diocletian ordered his soldiers to follow them and sent a messenger to Tiridates, the Armenian king (286-344), to put him on guard. King Tiridates located the women and, following Diocletian's example, was charmed by Rhipsimia's beauty and resolved to marry her. But St. Rhipsimia would not consent to wed him, and in his rage the king had her tortured to death with Gaiana and the fifty other virgins. St. Nino, however, was being prepared for a different, greater task, and she succeeded in escaping King Tiridates persecutions by hiding among some rose bushes.

When she finally arrived in Georgia, St. Nino was greeted by a group of Mtskhetan shepherds near Lake Paravani, and she received a blessing from God to preach to the pagans of this region. With the help of her acquaintances St. Nino soon reached the city of Urbnisi. She remained there a month, then traveled to Mtskheta with a group of Georgians who were making a pilgrimage to venerate the pagan idol Armazi.

There she watched with great sadness as the Georgian people trembled before the idols. She was exceedingly sorrowful and prayed to the Lord, O Lord, send down Thy mercy upon this nation ...that all nations may glorify Thee alone, the One True God, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ. Suddenly a violent wind began to blow and hail fell from the sky, shattering the pagan statues. The terrified worshipers fled, scattering across the city. St. Nino made her home beneath a bramble bush in the garden of the king, with the family of the royal gardener.  

The gardener and his wife were childless, but through St. Nino's prayers God granted them a child. The couple rejoiced exceedingly, declared Christ to be the True God, and became disciples of St. Nino. Wherever St. Nino went, those who heard her preach converted to the Christian Faith in great numbers. St. Nino even healed the terminally ill Queen Nana after she declared Christ to be the True God. King Mirian, a pagan, was not at all pleased with the great impression St. Nino's preaching had made on the Georgian nation. One day while he was out hunting, he resolved to kill all those who followed Christ. According to his wicked scheme, even his wife, Queen Nana, would face death for failing to renounce the Christian Faith. But in the midst of the hunt, it suddenly became very dark.

All alone, King Mirian became greatly afraid and prayed in vain for the help of the pagan gods. When his prayers went unanswered, he finally lost hope and, miraculously, he turned to Christ: God of Nino, illumine this night for me and guide my footsteps, and I will declare Thy Holy Name. I will erect a cross and venerate it and I will construct for Thee a temple. I vow to be obedient to Nino and to the Faith of the Roman people! Suddenly the night was transfigured, the sun shone radiantly, and King Mirian gave great thanks to the Creator. When he returned to the city, he immediately informed St. Nino of his decision.

As a result of the unceasing labors of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, Georgia was established as a nation solidly rooted in the Christian Faith. St. Nino reposed in the village of Bodbe in eastern Georgia and, according to her will, she was buried in the place where she took her last breath. King Mirian later erected a church in honor of St. George over her grave.

Reference: O.C.A.

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SKU: 33610783821

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4.1 ★★★★★
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Rafael Morales
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
better than the series
Format: Kindle
The chemistry the characters the banter the amazing direction of the story all builds up to a crescendo that simple didn’t let go! This is the first of an epic series that simply let love in its many different ways and journey transformed lives in ways that one couldn’t imagine! Beautifully worded and crafted with a creative nack to entertain and really dig this universe! Well done Miss Kennedy, well done!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2026
G
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Giliana
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 4
Not forced or rushed
Format: Hardcover
I really liked this book. Hannah & Garrett’s story starts off like a typical smart girl tutors the jock to help him get though a class in college. But their stories are traumatic and the things that they have both had to overcome make this book so much more than your typical tutor/jock story. Garrett is sweet, cocky, funny and helps bring Hannah out of her shell in a refreshing way. Hannah is not meek or mild or quiet, she is strong because of her past but still a little unsure. Together their chemistry is hot and their relationship just sort of naturally unfolds. I really loved that it didn’t seem forced or rushed, it just happened as it should. Garrett’s story in particular hit very close for me so maybe that is why I felt connected to these characters so much. I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2026
M
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Max Alvarado
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
The Hype Train Goes 🚂
Format: Kindle
4.5⭐️ | 4🌶️ | 4🎧 I genuinely enjoyed this book! It’s been sitting on my TBR for ages, and with all the buzz surrounding it lately, I finally decided to hop on the hype train. Thankfully, this one absolutely delivered. What surprised me most was how much depth this story had. Beneath the humor, hockey, and romance are some pretty heavy topics, and I thought Elle Kennedy handled them with a lot of care. Hannah’s journey in particular felt incredibly authentic, and I appreciated how thoughtfully the book approached her past trauma. This story felt like a safe space for survivors, never minimizing what she experienced while still allowing her healing and growth to shine through. Garrett and Hannah were such a fun couple to follow. Their banter was hilarious, their chemistry was undeniable, and their relationship developed in a way that kept me completely invested. I loved watching them challenge each other, support each other, and slowly become exactly what the other person needed. The romance was sweet, the spice delivered, and the emotional moments hit when they needed to. As a hockey fan, I also loved the sports aspect of the story. Hockey is one of the few sports I actually watch, so those scenes were especially enjoyable for me. But more than anything, I adored the sense of found family throughout the book. The friendships and team dynamics added so much heart and made the world feel lived in and welcoming. The audiobook was solid overall. Christian Fox and Lorelei Avalon did a good job bringing the characters to life. Christian Fox was a standout for me, while Lorelei Avalon occasionally sounded a little robotic during certain scenes. It wasn’t enough to take away from my enjoyment, but it was distracting at times. Overall, I can definitely see why so many readers love this book. It’s funny, emotional, spicy, and full of heart. I’m excited to continue with the rest of the series and spend more time with this group of characters! 💕⛸️🏒
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Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2026
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B Truly
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
Dreamy Hockey Men & Steamy Romance
Format: Audiobook
Loved this book! This book came up as one of my Amazon similars. As for contemporary, they must have an intriguing plot to hold my interest. I normally prefer Paranormal, Dystopian or Sci-fi romance or romantic suspense. The blurb sounded appealing, so I decided to give it a chance. This was my first hockey romance. After reading this book, I'm now a fan of the genre. This story had everything in it that I loved. An intense, slow-built romance. A cocky guy, who didn't really do relationships until he meets the girl who brings him to his knees. Friends to lovers with a few games in between. Spicy love scenes and jealous. Most importantly, a driving plot with intense drama that had the perfect balance. But it wasn't childish or over the top. I was over the moon when I recently learned that this book is becoming an adaptation for on Amazon. May 13th can't come fast enough. This book was so good, I decided to check out book #3 in the series, The Score. All 4 books in the Spin off series blurbs sounded interesting. After book #3, I immediately read all the books in the spin-off. Book #1, The Deal is tied with The Play in the spin-off series as my favorite with The Risk in the spin-off being a close 2nd.. Another thing I like about her series is that they all the books are stand-alones. You can also read the books out of order. Each book is a separate couple, so you get a new story each time, alongside following the other characters that were introduced in previous books
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Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2026
A
Verified Purchase
Angie
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 4
Good Start
Format: Kindle
This was the first book in the "Off-Campus" series. Hannah Wells, a focused and reserved music student, and Garrett Graham, the confident captain of the college hockey team whose academic struggles threaten his future. When their paths cross through an unexpected agreement, a friendship begins that gradually deepens into something more meaningful. I normally read YA but I found that I liked both of these characters I also liked the secondary characters as well. This was a pretty good read and I see why it's a good series on prime. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2026

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