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For other uses, see Saint Christopher (disambiguation).
For places named for the saint in various languages, see Saint-Christophe, San Cristóbal, and São Cristóvão.

Saint Christopher (Greek: Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, romanized: Hágios Christóphoros, lit. ‘Christ-bearer‘;[5] Latin: Sanctus Christophorus), also called Christopher of Lycea, is a legendary figure venerated by several Christian denominations as a martyr and saint.[6][7][8][9] The various legends regarding the saint do not agree on the time and place of the saint’s activity. His legendary birthplace is variously placed in Marmarica (west of Egypt), the Middle East or Barbaria.[10] Based on the legendary accounts the saint’s legendary martyrdom can be situated during the reign of the 3rd-century Roman emperors Decius (r. 249–251), Diocletian (r. 284–305) or Maximinus Daza (r. 308–313).[11] A martyrium of a Saint Christopher consecrated near Chalcedon (near present-day Istanbul) in 452 is the earliest evidence of a cult of the saint. His veneration spread in both the Eastern an Western churches.[7]

Broadly, two hagiographic traditions developed mainly distinguished by the level in which they emphasize or downplay the wild animal, monster-like nature of the saint: the older Eastern tradition describes the pre-conversion Christopher as having a ferocious nature and animal features (in particular, the head of dog) while the younger Western tradition does not dwell as much on these animalistic mental and physical features but rather emphasizes the lack of culture and the unusual tallness and ugliness of the saint.[1]

Both traditions hold that Christopher was not the initial name of the saint but that this name was only adopted by, or given to, the saint following his conversion to Christianity. The name Christopher, as used in the English-speaking world, is the English version of the Greek name Χριστόφορος (Christóphoros or Christóforos). It is formed from the word elements Χριστός (Christós, ‘Christ’), and φέρειν (phérein, ‘to bear’), together signifying, “Christ bearer”. As the saint’s legend spread to many regions, native forms of the Greek name Christopher developed both to refer to the saint and as a personal name.[12][13] Early Christians took or gave their children the name Christopher to indicate that they carried Christ in their hearts.

It has been speculated that the medieval artistic representations showing St. Christopher physically carrying the Infant Jesus led to the development of the best-known legend about the saint today.[14] This legend makes its debut only in the 13th-century compendium of hagiographies known as the Legenda aurea (Golden Legend). The Golden Legend recounts that after converting to Christianity, St. Christopher devotes his life to carrying travelers across a river. One day he is asked to carry a young boy across a river. During the crossing the boy becomes increasingly heavy to the point that even the able-bodied Christopher is struggling to continue the journey, even more so since the water level of the river has also started to rise. After reaching the river shore, the boy reveals himself to be Jesus.[15]

As some legendary stories recount that the saint devoted himself to helping travelers, various Christian denominations made him the patron saint of travelers. Small images of him are often worn around the neck, on a bracelet, carried in a pocket or placed in a vehicle in the belief they offer protection from adversity when traveling. In the iconography of Western Christianity, the saint is often depicted as a giant with a staff crossing a river with the infant Jesus on his shoulder. In Byzantine art, the saint is depicted in various guises including as a young man, a martyr in a red himation with a cross in his hand, a warrior on horseback or a man with the head of a dog in line with the early legendary tradition.[16] Modern scholarship has

Legend

Earliest evidence of a cult of St. Christopher

There is no evidence for the historicity of the saint.[6] The cult of St. Christopher was probably established in Asia Minor in the 5th century. A stone inscription was found in the ruins of a church close to Chalcedon, an ancient city near present-day Istanbul. The inscription states that a martyrium dedicated to a blessed Christopher was constructed from May 450 to 22 September 452, the date of its consecration.[10][17] It also mentions the names of the state ministers of the Byzantine Empire and those church ministers who were involved in the church’s construction and the consecration but provides no information on the person to whom the martyrium was dedicated other than the honorific and name blessed Christopher.[18] The inscription attests to the veneration of a Saint Christopher in Asia Minor in the mid-5th century.[6]

Sources of the earliest legendary accounts

Greek icon representing St. Christopher with the head of a dog.

The Christopher legend seems to have its roots in the Coptic Acts of Bartholomew, a partially preserved document going back to 4 or 5th-century Egypt which has been partially reconstructed from later translations and elaborations such as the Acts of Andrew and Bartholomew. The Acts recount the miraculous missionary activities of Saint Bartholomew who is accompanied by Saint Andrew and two other disciples (referred to together as the apostles). According to the Acts, the apostles are sent by Jesus to convert the Parthians. In Parthia they meet Gallinos, the governor. To prove the power of their god, the apostles perform miracles showing that their god has absolute power of the city’s idols. In response, the devils dwelling in the city idols demand that the apostles be burned with fire. The apostles are held and tortured in many imaginative ways. They die but are later resurrected. Gallinos then offers the apostles money to leave the city. When they refuse, the city’s people drive them out.[19] The apostles then travel in the direction of the city of the cannibals. A dog-headed individual of four cubit tall leaves the city of the cannibals to look for a human to eat. He finds no food but encounters an angel who baptizes him. As a result he loses his animal nature and acquires the ability to speak as a human. He is tasked by the angel to assist Saint Bartholomew in converting the city of the cannibals. He meets Saint Bartholomew and Saint Andrew who are initially afraid of him.[20] He tells them his name is Christomaios (in the Arabic and Ethiopian versions he tells them his name is ‘Bewitched’ or ‘Abominable’). The apostles say that from now on he will be called Christian (Christianus or Christomaios). They all set course to Parthia. Warned by satan, Gallinos closes the city gates when he hears of their approach. After Andrew has called on God to break down the gates, they enter the city. While under attack by the citizens and wild animals, Christomaios pleads with Andrew to obtain divine intervention so that he can reclaim his animal nature. Once he has become animal-like again he tears apart and eats the animals while many of the citizens die in the chaos. Andrew calms Christomaios and calls on God to send a fire to encircle the city. The governor and the leaders of the city plead for deliverance and make a declaration of faith in Jesus. The fire is extinguished and the apostels subsequently succeed in converting the city’s people. At Christomaios’ request, the dead people are resurrected.[19]

Landscape with St Christopher by Orazio Gentileschi

The Acts of Bartholomew contain many of the themes that recur in the early Christopher legends, in particular that of the indestructibility of saints (in this case the apostles) who are able to survive almost all kinds of torture. Another theme also found in the Christopher legends is that the pagan opponent tends to fall into despair, first tries to cajole the Christian converts to return to the pagan religion by being kind to them but when he is unable to overcome the intransigence of the saints or converts resorts to various forms of torture. The direct intervention in the story of angels and devils, the mocking of pagan idols and the performance of miracles are also a staple of the Christopher legends.[20]

The legendary accounts

Legends about the life and death of St, Christopher first appeared in Greece in the 5th or 6th century and spread very early throughout Egypt, Syria and Palestine before spreading to the West by the 9th century. The oldest preserved written versions were penned in Greek (one of which is known as BHG 309-310c, possibly 5th century or later)[21][22] and Latin (one of which is known as BHL 1764, 8th century).[23]

The Western development of the legend begins with the German writer and later bishop Walter of Speyer who wrote two versions of the legend in Latin, one in verse and the other in prose which were first completed in 986 under the title Vita et Passio sancti Christophori martyris (‘Life and passion of the holy martyr Christopher’). The legendary account that was to become the most influential in Europe is recounted in the 13th-century Latin Legenda aurea (Golden Legend).[24][25] Many vernacular versions of the Christopher legends were written during the Middle Ages. The various legends regarding the saint and the translations and elaborations differ and contradict each other in many ways.[26]

Greek Martyrdom of Christophoros

The martyrdom of Saint Christopher by the Master of St Christopher with the devil, c. 1515

One of the oldest preserved written versions in Greek known as BHG 309-310c, possibly dating to the 5th century or later, tells the story of Reprebos, a physically repulsive Cynocephalus (a man with a dog’s head) from a tribe of cannibals. He is baptised a Christian in Syrian Antioch. He converts many followers, including Aquilina and Kallinike and is later tortured and martyred under emperor Decius in Perga (Pamphylia) or Antioch.[21]

Another early Greek versions of the Christopher legend is the Martyrdom of Christophoros (referred to as BHG 309-310c). It starts with the issuing, in the fourth year of emperor Decius, of a decree requiring everyone to participate in heathen sacrificial rituals. Reprebos, a barbarian captured by the Romans in battle is forced to join the Roman numerus Marmaritarum, i.e. a military unit made up by Marmaritae people. Reprebos is said to be from a region of man-eaters and dog-headed people and is described as physically repulsive and incapable of speaking “our language” (Greek is probably meant). Nevertheless, he continually meditates on the words of God. After praying to God he is granted the gift of language. He goes to the city where he confronts the persecutors of the Christians and is struck by one of them. This persecutor reports the fearful appearance of Reprebos to the emperor. The emperor sends 200 soldiers to capture or kill Reprebos. Before they find him, a miracle occurs as the staff of Christopher blossoms with new growth. Found by the soldiers, Christopher refuses their offer to delay his arrest. When on the way to the city, the soldiers complain about their poor rations, Christopher miraculously produces five loaves of bread with the help of the angel Raphael. The soldiers at once want to become Christians and are baptised together with Reprebos by the bishop Babylas in Antioch in Syria. Reprebos takes his new name Christophoros.

He gets an audience with the emperor who is intimidated by his appearance. He refuses to yield to the emperor’s pleas that he sacrifice to the heathen gods. He is then severely tortured. The emperor’s attempt to seduce him by sending him two sex workers called Aquilina and Kallinike is not successful as the saint instead manages to convert the women. The women will later choose a cruel martyrdom when they refuse to renounce their newly adopted faith as demanded by the emperor’s men. Kallinike first pretends that she agrees to sacrifice to the Greek gods but then turns around and insults the effigies of these gods. She is then executed in a cruel manner. The following day, the emperor attempts to win over Christopher, who remains steadfast in his faith. The two hundred soldiers who earlier converted declare themselves Christians to the emperor who, after unsuccessfully trying to cajole them back to their pagan beliefs, orders that they be executed immediately and their bodies burned. Christopher is then again tortured and burned alive on a pyre, yet he remains unharmed. One thousand people immediately convert to Christianity. They save him from the flames and taunt the emperor who flees.

The emperor gets a visit from the devil disguised as a human who incites him against Christopher. The next day the emperor orders everyone to sacrifice to the heathen gods. When Christopher and his band of converts resist the order, the crowd is subsequently massacred. Christopher is thrown down a well with a heavy stone around his neck but the stone is crushed and the saint lifted out of the well by angels. The emperor orders a bronze cape to be heated up and put on him, but the saint remains unharmed again. The emperor finally orders his beheading. While being led to the place of execution, Christopher asks Jesus to bestow on his bodily relics the power to drive away demons and prevent agricultural problems such as hail, acts of god and bad grape harvests The aspiring martyr is beheaded after praying for the emperor’s demise, which later causes the emperor to suffer from a debilitating illness. The soldier who beheaded Christopher commits suicide after the execution. The bishop of Attaleia pays a hefty sum to retrieve Christopher’s body, which becomes a source of miracles. In summary, the brief ministry of the martyr causes not only his own death but also the demise of 201 soldiers, two sex workers and at least 1,000 converted citizens as well as the serious illness of the emperor.[21]

The Golden Legend

St Christopher in an Italian vernacular translation of the Golden Legend published in Milan in 1497

According to the legendary account of his life in the Golden Legend, Christopher is of Canaanite lineage and initially called Reprobus.[15] He is 12 cubits (ranging from 533 centimetres (210 in) to 628 centimetres (247 in) depending on which cubit standard is used) tall (later versions reduced this to 5 cubits). While serving the king of Canaan, he gets it into his head that he must go and serve “the greatest prince there was”. He joins the king reputed to be the greatest, but one day he sees the king cross himself at the mention of the devil. On thus learning that the king fears the devil, he leaves to look for the devil. He comes across a band of marauders, one of whom declares himself to be the devil, so Christopher decides to serve him. When he sees his new master avoid a wayside cross, he realises that the devil isfears Christ. He then leaves the service of the devil and enquires from people where to find Christ. He meets a hermit who instructs him in the Christian faith. Christopher asks him how he can serve Christ. When the hermit suggests fasting and prayer, Christopher replies that he is unable to perform that service. The hermit then suggests that because of his size and strength Christopher can serve Jesus by assisting people to cross a dangerous river. The hermit promises that this service will be pleasing to Christ.[15]

After Christopher has performed this service for some time, a little child asks him to be taken across the river. During the crossing, the river starts to swell and the child feels as heavy as lead. Christopher can scarcely carry the child and finds himself in great difficulty. When he finally manages to reach the other side, he tells the child: “You have put me in the greatest danger. I do not think the whole world could have been as heavy on my shoulders as you were.” The child replies: “You had on your shoulders not only the whole world but Him who made it. I am Christ your king, whom you are serving by this work.” The child then vanishes.[15]

St. Christopher Carrying the Infant Christ, Rubens, 1610s

Christopher later visits Lycia where he comforts the Christians who are being martyred. Brought before the local king, he refuses to sacrifice to the pagan gods. The king tries to win him over by riches and by sending two beautiful women to tempt him. Christopher converts the women to Christianity, as he had earlier converted thousands in the city. The king orders him to be killed. After various failed attempts to execute him, Christopher is finally successfully beheaded.[15]

Other legendary accounts

According to the medieval Irish Passion of St. Christopher, “This Christopher was one of the Dog-heads, a race that had the heads of dogs and ate human flesh.”[27] The German bishop and poet Walter of Speyer portrayed St. Christopher in his Vita et passio sancti Christopher martyris as a giant of a cynocephalic species in the land of the Chananeans who ate human flesh and barked. Eventually, Christopher meets the Infant Jesus, regrets his former behavior and receives baptism. He is further rewarded with a human appearance, whereupon he devotes his life to Christian service as an [[athlete of God] and one of the soldier saints.[28]

In the Eastern Orthodox Church some legends developed which emphasize the initial beauty of St. Christopher in contrast to the standard story of the ugly dog-headed saint. An unpublished copy of the life of St. Christopher dated to the 13th century in the library of the Great Lavra monastery on Mount Athos recounts that this beautiful St. Christopher came from a ridge of rocky hills resembling dog heads named Cynoscephale located near the ancient city of Scotussa in Thessaly, Greece. The Cynoscephale were well known in Antiquity as the location of significant military events.[29][30] According to a folk tradition in Cyprus, the martyr led a solitary life and was God-fearing and handsome, which attracted local women. Wanting to avoid temptation, St. Christopher prayed to God to disfigure him upon which he was given his dog head.[31]

Veneration and patronage

Dog-headed St. Christopher carrying the Infant Jesus (1806), Fresco in Nașterea Domnului Church, Sărata, Romania.

Eastern Orthodox liturgy

The Eastern Orthodox Church remembers Christopher as the “Great Martyr Christopher” on a feast day on 9 May. The liturgical reading and hymns refer to his imprisonment by Decius who tempts Christopher with prostitutes before ordering his beheading.[32] The Kontakion in the Fourth Tone (hymn) reads:[32]

Thou who wast terrifying both in strength and in countenance, for thy Creator’s sake thou didst surrender thyself willingly to them that sought thee; for thou didst persuade both them and the women that sought to arouse in thee the fire of lust, and they followed thee in the path of martyrdom. And in torments thou didst prove to be courageous. Wherefore, we have gained thee as our great protector, O great Christopher.

Roman Catholic liturgy

The Roman Martyrology remembers him on 25 July.[33] The Tridentine calendar commemorates him on the same day only in private Masses. His commemoration was of relatively late date (around 1550).[34] By 1954 his commemoration was extended to all Masses[35], but it was dropped in 1970 from the general calendar and restricted to particular calendars of the Roman rite.[34]

Relics

The Museum of Sacred Art at Saint Justine’s Church (Sveta Justina) in Rab, Croatia claims a gold-plated reliquary holds the skull of St. Christopher. According to church tradition, a bishop showed the relics from the city wall in 1075 in order to end a siege of the city by an Italo-Norman army.[36][37]

The Cathedral of St. James in Šibenik holds a relic which is claimed to be the incorrupt leg of the saint. It was brought over in 1484 from Constantinople through Corfu and originally intended to be transferred to Korčula. The feast day of Saint Christopher is celebrated on 27 July in Šibenik.[38]

Greek Orthodox churches in Grevena, Filothei, and Siatista claim to hold relics of the saint.

A bronze St. Christopher medallion

Medals and holy cards

Devotional medals with St. Christopher’s name and image are commonly worn as pendants, especially by travelers, to show devotion and as a request for his blessing. Miniature statues are frequently displayed in automobiles. In French a widespread phrase for such medals is Regarde St Christophe et va-t-en rassuré (“Look at St Christopher and go on reassured”, sometimes translated as “Behold St Christopher and go your way in safety”). Saint Christopher medals and holy cards in Spanish carry the phrase Si en San Cristóbal confías, de accidente no morirás (“If you trust St. Christopher, you won’t die in an accident”).[39]

General patronage

St. Christopher was a widely popular saint, especially revered in the Roman Catholic Church by people, athletes, mariners, ferrymen, and travelers.[24] The Roman Catholic Church regards the saint as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, a small group of saints believed to be particularly effective, especially against various diseases. He holds patronage of things related to travel and travelers—against lightning and pestilence—and patronage for archers; bachelors; boatmen; soldiers; bookbinders; epilepsy; floods; fruit dealers; fullers; gardeners; a holy death; mariners; market carriers; motorists and drivers; sailors; storms; surfers;[40] toothache; mountaineering; and transportation workers.

Because certain traditions believed that gazing on the saint offered protection against sudden death, images of the saint were placed on the gates of cities, bridges and at the entrance of churches (typically on the north wall opposite the porch).[6][9]

Patronage of places

Christopher is the patron saint of many places, including: Baden, Germany;[24] Barga, Italy; Brunswick, Germany;[24] Mecklenburg, Germany;[24] Rab, Croatia; Roermond, the Netherlands; Saint Christopher’s Island (Saint Kitts); Toses, Catalonia, Spain; Mondim de Basto, Portugal; Agrinio, Greece; Vilnius, Lithuania; Riga, Latvia; Havana, Cuba; San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic; Paete, Laguna, Philippines; and Tivim, Goa, India.

Toponomy

Numerous places are named for the saint, including Saint Christopher Island, the official name of the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts, and St. Christopher Island in Antarctica. Many places are named after the saint in other languages, for example Saint-Christophe is a common French place name. Similarly, San Cristóbal is a place name in many Spanish-speaking or Spanish-influenced countries, and the São Cristóvão is in use throughout the Lusophone world.

Iconography

In the iconography of Western Christianity, he is usually depicted from the late Middle Ages as a soldier in the army, wearing an armor and/or uniform or as a bearded giant, with a child on his shoulder and a staff in one hand.[1] From the Northern Renaissance at the end of the 15th century the saint is most often depicted with a fluttering pink or reddish cloak.[41]

Terracotta Icon of Saints Christopher and George found in Vinica

In Eastern Orthodox Church art, the saint is variously depicted as a young man, a martyr in a red himation with a cross in his hand or a warrior on horseback. In addition, there are also depictions of the saint as a man with the head of an animal, most often a dog but also a lamb or horse.[16] The roots of the dog-head iconography lie in the early sources for the Christopher legends which clearly describe the protagonist as a cynocephalus, i.e a person with the head of a dog. It is not clear when this type of representation started as most early Christian artworks were destroyed during the 8th and 9th century Byzantine Iconoclasms. On a terracotta icon found at Vinicko Kale, Vinica, North Macedonia (Archaeological Museum of North Macedonia) St. Christopher and St. George are presented at full length, wearing tunics and a mantle. Both saints are holding spears, which pierce a snake (dragon) with a man-like head at their feet. The two saints appear to be represented as warrior martyrs and dragon slayers. St. Christopher is depicted with the head of a dog which demonstrates that this iconography appeared almost contemporaneously with the spread of the cult of St. Christopher in the East itself. The dog-headed depiction of St. Christopher on the Vinica icon shows the influence of Egyptian statues of people with animal heads and, in particular, the depictions of the Graeco-Egyptian god Hermanubis, who is the product of the syncretism of Hermes from Greek mythology and Anubis from Egyptian mythology.[1]

Images of St. Christopher with a dog’s head appeared in Russian icon painting from the second half of the 16th century and became very popular in Russia. After a Synod of the Russian Church held in 1722 banned the dog-head imagery, St. Christopher was only allowed to be depicted in an anthropomorphic form. During the following centuries the iconography of the saint as a warrior with a dog-head continued, however, within the traditionalist Old Believers environment and in other Orthodox churches not subject to the Russian Church’s Synod. The ban on the Old Believers’ practices was lifted in 1971.[1] The facial expression of the dog-headed saint was initially aggressive as he would typically be shown baring his teeth. The expression was gradually softened, presumably in order to create a serene, meek and gentle face, reminiscent of a lamb, which was closer to what was expected of a Christian.[29]

In the Balkan region there were also a number of representations of the martyr with the head of a lamb.[42] From the 13th century, Byzantine art developed a tradition of depicting the martyr alongside holy doctors. This type of depiction was also adopted in the Eastern Orthodox churches.[43]

Depictions in art

See also: Saint Christopher in popular culture

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Stefanović, Danijela (2013). “The ‘Christianisation’ of Hermanibus”. Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte. 62 (4): 506–514.
  2. ^ Diane Andrews Henningfeld, Saint Christopher at EBSCO, 2023
  3. ^ (in Greek) Ὁ Ἅγιος Χριστοφόρος ὁ Μεγαλομάρτυρας Archived 16 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine. 9 Μαΐου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
  4. ^ “الشهيد خريستوفوروس حامل المسيح”. St-Takla.org. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  5. ^ Godden, Richard H.; Mittman, Asa Simon (21 November 2019). Monstrosity, Disability, and the Posthuman in the Medieval and Early Modern World. Springer Nature. p. 183. ISBN 978-3-030-25458-2.
  6. ^ a b c d Ameisenowa, Zofia (1949). “Animal-Headed Gods, Evangelists, Saints and Righteous Men”. Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes. 12 (1): 42. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  7. ^ a b Britannica, ed. (10 January 2026). “Saint Christopher”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  8. ^ Peter Dinzelbacher: Falsche Heilige. In: Hannes Etzlstorfer, Willibald Katzinger, Wolfgang Winkler: Echt-Falsch: Will die Welt betrogen sein? Kremayr und Scheriau, Vienna 2003, p. 273
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  10. ^ a b pnowakowski (2015). E00953: Greek building inscription for a martyr shrine of *Christophoros (martyr of Pamphylia, S00616), commemorating the beginning of the construction, and the deposition of relics. Found close to Chalkedon/Chalcedon (Bithynia, north-west Asia Minor). 450/452. University of Oxford. Online resource.
  11. ^ David Woods, ‘St. Christopher, Bishop Peter of Attalia, and the Cohors Marmaritarum: A Fresh Examination’, Vigiliae Christianae, Vol. 48, No. 2 (June 1994), pp. 170-186
  12. ^ Brown, A.; Grim, G.; Le Get, R.; Shiel, N.; Slíz, M.; Uckelman, J.; Uckelman, S.L. (2021). “Christopher”. In Uckelman, S.L. (ed.). The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources. dmnes.org.
  13. ^ Yonge, Charlotte Mary (1884). “Names from Cristos”. History of Christian Names. London: Macmillan. pp. 104–106. [Part III, Chapter V, Section 3].
  14. ^ C. Markschies, Christophorus in Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, Brill, First-online on 3 June 2015
  15. ^ a b c d e “The Golden Legend or Live of the Saints Compiled by Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa, 1275 First Edition Published 1470 Englished by William Caxton, First Edition 1483 Volume 4, Temple Classics Edited by F.S. Ellis, First issue 1900, Reprinted 1922, 1931” (PDF).
  16. ^ a b Nataliya Kravchenko, Атрибуція ікони святого Христофора (з приватної колекції, м. Київ) Attribution of the icon of st. Christopher (private collection, Kiev) in: Культура і сучасність, 2014, pp. 125-130
  17. ^ Louis Duchesne (1878). “Inscription chrétienne de Bithynie”. Bulletin de correspondence hellénique (in French). 2: 289–299 – via Digitalisat.
  18. ^ pnowakowski (2015) The inscription reads: ‘The foundations of the martyrion of Saint Christophoros were laid with God in the third indiction, in the month of May, after the consulate of Protogenes and Asturius of clarissimus rank, under the emperor Theodosius and Eulalios, bishop of Chalkedon. It is built by the most dignified cubicularia, Euphemia. And the deposition (of the relics) took place in the 5th indiction just completed, on the 22nd day of the month of September, during the consulate of [Sporacius] of clarissimus rank.’
  19. ^ a b Burke, Tony. “Acts of Andrew and Bartholomew.” e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. Accessed 5 February 2026.
  20. ^ a b K. Zwierzina, Die Legenden der Märtyrer vom unzerstérbaren Leben, in: Versammlung Deutscher Philologen und Schulmänner: Innsbrucker Festgruss von der Philosophischen Fakultät dargebracht der 50. Versammlung deutscher Philologen und Schulmänner in Graz. Innsbruck : Wagner, 1909, pp. 130 to 158
  21. ^ a b c Nikolaos (2018). E06111: The ‘epic’ Greek Martyrdom of Christophoros (martyr of Pamphylia, S00616). University of Oxford. Online resource.
  22. ^ S. Christophori martyris Acta græca antiqua, Analecta Bollandiana, Volume 1, Issue 1, January 1882, pp. 121-148 .
  23. ^ Noel Joshua Hadl (editor), The Passion of Saint Christopher (BHL 1764), a translation of one of the earliest Latin versions of the Christopher legend.
  24. ^ a b c d e Mershman, Francis (1908). “St. Christopher“. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  25. ^ Molteni, E.; Vergani, M.; Riva, M. A. (February 2019). “The gigantic tooth of St. Christopher”. British Dental Journal. 226 (4): 240. doi:10.1038/s41415-019-0034-z. hdl:10281/220741. PMID 30796375. S2CID 256578248.
  26. ^ Sarah Victoria Buxton, Saint Christopher in Medieval Spanish Literature, Master Thesis, Department of Spanish, Durham University, September 2006
  27. ^ “Irish Passion of St. Christopher”. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013.
  28. ^ Walter of Speyer, Vita et passio sancti Christopher martyris, 75.Vita et passio sancti Christopher martyris
  29. ^ a b Silvia Marin Barutcieff, Once upon a time there was a handsome man. The virtue of a saint traveling across south-eastern Europe, January 2022, CEM : Cultura, Espaço & Memória; Oporto Iss. 14, (2022): 39-51
  30. ^ Naydenova Darya Vadimovna, The Image of St. Christopher in Russian Art of the Middle Ages and the Modern Period, Dissertation for an academic degree candidate of art history, Saint Petersburg State University, scientific supervisor: Khodakovsky Evgeny Valentinovich, Doctor of Art History, Professor
  31. ^ Naydenova Darya Vadimovna, The Image of St. Christopher in Russian Art of the Middle Ages and the Modern Period, Dissertation for an academic degree candidate of art history, Saint Petersburg State University, scientific supervisor: Khodakovsky Evgeny Valentinovich, Doctor of Art History, Professor
  32. ^ a b “Christopher the Martyr of Lycea”. Saints. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  33. ^ Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001 ISBN 978-88-209-7210-3)
  34. ^ a b Calendarium Romanum, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969, p. 131
  35. ^ Martyrologium Romanum (Typis Vaticanis, 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7)
  36. ^ “The relics of St. Christopher kept in the Cathedral in Rab”. rab-visit.com.
  37. ^ Portal Grada Raba: Povijest 14. ZAŠTITNIK RABA SV. KRISTOFOR Archived 27 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine Naime, Rab su 14. 4. 1075. svojim lađama opkolili italski Normani. Nemoćni da se obrane od brojnog i naoružanog neprijatelja, rabljani pozvaše u pomoć svog zaštitnika, svetog Kristofora <…> Svečeva lubanja dospjela je u Rab i čuva se u muzeju sv. Justine, kao dragocjena relikvija.
  38. ^ “Danas slavimo drugog zaštitnika grada Šibenika i Šibenske biskupije sv. Kristofora. U katedrali je otvoren relikvijar sa svečevom neraspadnutom nogom”. Šibenska biskupija (in Croatian). 27 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  39. ^ Mount, Toni (2016). A Year in the Life of Medieval England. Amberley Publishing. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-4456-5240-5.
  40. ^ Diocese of Orange hosts First Annual Blessing of the Waves in Surf City Archived 16 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, 15 September 2008
  41. ^ Five novelties in the land of St Christopher at KMSKA
  42. ^ Silvia Marin Barutcieff, An Iconographic Theme Disseminated North of the Carpathians: Saint Christopher in Romanian Mural Painting of Southern Transylvania (1760–1835), 2019, Łódzkie Studia Etnograficzne, pp. 195–216
  43. ^ Naydenova, D. V. (2017). The Specifics of Veneration of St. Christopher in Russia and the Iconography of the Martyr in Old Believers’ Art. Actual Problems of Theory and History of Art, 7, 473–482

Further reading

  • Bouquet, John A. (1930). A People’s Book of Saints. London: Longman’s.
  • Cunningham, Lawrence S. (1980). The meaning of saints. San Francisco: Harper & Row. ISBN 978-0-06-061649-6.
  • Voragine, Jacobus de (1993). The golden legend: Readings on the saints. Translated by William Ryan. Princeton, New Jersey (USA): Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-00865-3.
  • Weinstein, Donald; Bell, Rudolph M. (1982). Saints and society: the 2 worlds of western Christendom, 1000–1700. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr. ISBN 978-0-226-89055-5.
  • White, Helen (1963). Tudor Books of Saints and Martyrs. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
  • Wilson, Stephen, ed. (1983). Saints and their cults: Studies in religious sociology, folklore, and history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-24978-2.