On this day, June 26 according to the Julian Calendar (July 9 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates the Venerable David of Thessalonica (ca. 540).
The Venerable David of Thessalonica (+ca. 540) labored in asceticism at the Monastery of the Holy Martyrs Theodore and Mercury. He later set up a shelter under an almond tree near the city of Thessalonica and settled there. The holy elder prayed unceasingly, fasted strictly, and endured frost and scorching heat with patience. The Lord was pleased with his struggles and granted him the gift of wonderworking. The blessed ascetic healed the sick and offered spiritually beneficial counsel to all who came to him. Having attained dispassion and become like an earthly angel, he was able to hold red-hot coals in his hands as incense without suffering any harm.
The Venerable David reposed in peace around the year 540.
May the intercessions of the Venerable David of Thessalonica be with us all.