Life
Saint Luke of the Crimea, in the world Valentin Feliksovich Voyno-Yasenetsky, was born on April 27, 1877, in Kerch, into the family of a pharmacist. From youth he displayed exceptional abilities for both art and science, but ultimately chose medicine — not for glory or income, but from a desire to help the poor and the suffering. He graduated from the Medical Faculty in Kyiv and quickly distinguished himself as an outstanding surgeon, especially in the field of purulent surgery. His doctoral thesis on regional anesthesia was revolutionary for its time, and the technical innovations he introduced saved thousands of lives.
After the death of his wife in 1919, Valentin Feliksovich turned his heart increasingly toward God and the Church. When Bishop Innokentiy of Tashkent, considering future clergy, stated that he needed a man who understood both the soul and the body, Valentin presented himself. Ordained deacon in 1921, priest in the same year, and soon afterward bishop — taking the monastic name Luke after the apostle-physician — he immediately drew attention. He continued to operate on patients in his monastic robes, and in the foreword to his medical textbook he wrote: “I have not ceased to be a surgeon because I have become a bishop.”
The Bolshevik regime could not tolerate a believing surgeon who had an icon of Christ above his operating table. Saint Luke was, up to his death in 1961, arrested and convicted three times: in 1923, 1930, and 1937. He spent a total of eleven years in labor camps and exile, underwent interrogations, psychological torture, and the severe conditions of captivity, but not once denied the faith or renounced his episcopal dignity. Even in exile he shared his medical knowledge and treated patients. During the Second World War, returning to the hospital from his final exile, he headed the surgical ward for wounded soldiers and received the Stalin Prize in 1946 for his contribution to medical science — a prize whose portion he immediately donated to war orphans.
As Archbishop of Simferopol and the Crimea (from 1946 until his repose in 1961), Saint Luke continued to preach, write theological works, and care for his flock despite the gradual loss of his sight. He left behind a rich medical and spiritual legacy: the multi-volume “Essays on Purulent Surgery” and the collection of sermons “The Spirit, the Soul, and the Body” became classics each in its own field. He reposed on June 11, 1961. Canonized in 1995 by the Russian Orthodox Church, he was enrolled among the saints by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2000. His icon from the Crimea fills many churches, and numerous healings — especially from eye diseases and surgical complications — have been recorded before his relics, which are kept in Simferopol.
Tropar (Tone 1)
O holy confessor and healer Luke, thou didst serve the sick with prayer and scalpel, didst confess the faith of Christ in the midst of torments, and didst glorify God in exile. Intercede with Christ God to grant health to the souls and bodies of our souls.
Kontakion (Tone 2)
We glorify thee as surgeon and archbishop, confessor and wonderworker, O holy Luke, who didst teach by body and soul: there is no true medicine without Christ, and no pastoral care without love. Obtain for us that love in heaven.
About the Feast
Saint Luke of the Crimea is not counted among the classical patron feasts in the Serbian people, but many physicians, surgeons, and medical workers venerate him as their heavenly patron. Churches bearing his name are being built throughout the Orthodox world.