Edward the Confessor century until the destruction of the regalia by Oliver Cromwell in 1649. 13 October is an optional feast day for Edward the Confessor in the Catholic Church of England and Wales, and the Church of England's calendar of saints designates it as a Lesser Festival. Edward is regarded as a patron saint of difficult marriages. The "Vita Ædwardi Regis" states "[H]e was a very proper figure of a man—of outstanding height, and distinguished by his milky white hair and beard, full face and rosy cheeks, thin white hands, and long translucent fingers; in all the rest of his body he
Blessed Be the Host of the King of Heaven Blessed Be the Host of the King of Heaven Blessed Be the Host of the Heavenly Tsar (Благословенно воинство Небесного Царя), also known as the Ecclesia militans ("The Church Militant"), is a grand Russian Orthodox icon commemorating the conquest of Kazan by Ivan IV of Russia (1552). Measuring almost four meters in width, "Ecclesia militans" is one of the largest icons ever produced in medieval Russia. It has been attributed to Ivan's confessor Andrew (later known as Athanasius, Metropolitan of Moscow). The icon shows Ivan the Terrible as he follows the Archangel Michael in leading the triumphant Russian troops away