One of the Most popular of saints,
traditionally invoked by the pious
and the doubter alike for
protection when travelling.
Christopher's martyrdom, traditionally held to have taken place
at Lycia in Asia Minor during the persecutions of Decius, is the
only fact known about him. The early classical legends associated
with his name developed through the Middle Ages into the story
popularized by the Golden Legend, and based on the saint's
name, meaning 'Christ-bearer', according to which Christophr was
a fearsome-looking giant who, being so powerful himself, vowed
only to serve the most powerful of masters. At first he believed
this to be Satan, but on realizing the Devil was afraid of Christ,
he pledged his allegiance to the latter.
Searching how best to serve his new master, he met a hermit who
instructed him to perform Christian service by living alone by
a ford and carrying travellers across the river in his massive
back. One of his passangers, a small child, grew so heavy that
half way across the river Christopher feared they would both be
drowned, despite his great strength. The child then revealed himself
as Christ, and explained to the exhausted giant that he had just
carried the creator of the world and all the weight of its sin
on his back. To verify these words, he told Christopher to plant
his staff inthe ground where the next day it would sprout leaves
and flowers.
Death and Cult
After this experience, Christopher is believed to have
preached in Lycia with great success until his imprisonment. While
in prison, two women were sent to seduce him but rather than weakening
he is supposed to have converted his temptresses. He underwent
various tortures, including being shot by arrows, but according
to legend the arrows turned on his captors, one of whom was wounded
in the eye and later healed by Christopher's blood. Finally, he
was beheaded, and his enormous body dragged through the city's
streets.
Because of his role as protector, Christopher has become the patron
saint of travellers, and motorists especially in modern times.
It was believed that anyone who saw a picture of St. Christopher
would not die that day; hence the popularity of his representation
on particularly conspicuous church walls, and the custom of carrying
a medallion bearing his image when on a journey. He is most frequently
shown carrying the christ-child across the river.
Although the cult ha always been immensely popular, it has been
widely condemned as superstition from the time of Erasmus's Praise
of folly. After the 17th century occurences of his image decrease,
but with the advent of motorized transport and air travel, with
their new dangers, his cult has widely revived. There was much
popular opposition in 1969 when his feast was reduced to the status
of a local cult.
| Feast Day 25 July Patron saint of travellers, especiall motorists and sailors. |
[From the Wordsworth Dictionary of Saints]
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