December 23translatedThis page has been translated from Serbian to English. It may contain minor phrasing or syntactic issues.

Niphon was born in Paphlagonia, raised in Constantinople at the court of a certain general. Having fallen into bad company, young Niphon became corrupted and gave himself over to many sins and vices. Because of sin Niphon could not even pray to God. By the mercy of the Holy Theotokos Niphon was returned to the path of righteousness, and became a monk. Niphon had countless visions of the heavenly world. For four years Niphon waged a difficult struggle with a demon who unceasingly whispered to him: There is no God! There is no God! But when the Lord Jesus Himself appeared to Niphon as living on an icon, Niphon gained great power over evil spirits, and was freed from difficult temptations. Niphon was so clairvoyant that Niphon saw angels and demons around people just as he saw people, and Niphon knew people's thoughts. With angels Niphon conversed often, and with demons Niphon disputed. Niphon built a church to the Most Holy Theotokos in Constantinople, gathered monks and saved many. Archbishop Alexander of Alexandria by revelation from heaven consecrated Niphon as bishop of the city of Constantia in Cyprus. At that time Saint Niphon was already old, and having governed the Church of God well for a short time, Niphon passed into the eternal Kingdom of Christ. Before his death Saint Athanasius the Great, archdeacon of the Church of Alexandria, visited Niphon, and after Niphon's death saw his face illumined as the sun.

Naum was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius and one of the Five Disciples, who most zealously collaborated with those apostles to the Slavs. Saint Naum traveled to Rome, where Naum was glorified by wonderworking power as well as by great learning. Naum was a knower of many languages. Upon returning from Rome, they settled, with the help of Emperor Boris-Michael, on the shores of Lake Ohrid. While Saint Clement worked as bishop in Ohrid, Saint Naum founded on the southern shore of the lake a monastery which even to this day adorns that shore—just as the name Saint Naum adorns the history of Slavic Christianity—and which through the centuries has been a source of wonderworking power and a refuge for the sick and afflicted. Around Saint Naum gathered a multitude of monks from all over the Balkans. Saint Naum was a wise teacher, a unique leader of monks, a resolute ascetic, a wonderworking man of prayer and spiritual father. The tireless laborer Saint Naum worked especially at translating the Holy Scriptures and other church books from Greek into Slavonic. Naum performed miracles both during his life and after his death. His wonderworking relics even to this day amaze with numerous miracles, especially healings from grave illnesses, particularly insanity. Naum reposed in the first half of the tenth century and passed to the joy of the beloved Christ (see June 20).