Saint Spyridon

Spyridon, also Spyridon of Tremithus (Greek: Ἅγιος Σπυρίδων; c. 270 – 348), is a saint honoured in both the Eastern and Western Christian traditions.

Spyridon was born in Assia, in Cyprus. He worked as a shepherd and was known for his great piety. He married and had one daughter, Irene. Upon the death of his wife, Spyridon entered a monastery, and their daughter entered a convent.

Spyridon eventually became Bishop of Trimythous, or Tremithous (today called Tremetousia), in Larnaca District. He took part in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325), where he was instrumental in countering the theological arguments of Arius and his followers.

He reportedly converted a pagan philosopher to Christianity by using a potsherd to illustrate how one single entity (a piece of pottery; some accounts say it was a brick) could be composed of three unique entities (fire, water, and clay); a metaphor for the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. It is said that when he said "in the name of the father" the potsherd miraculously burst into flame, "and of the son" water began to drip on the ground, "and of the holy spirit" and only dust remained in his hand.

After the council, Spyridon returned to his diocese in Tremithous. He had earlier fallen into disfavor during the persecutions of Emperor Maximinus Daza, but died peacefully in his old age.

Spyridon was popular in Byzantine literature. A poem, now lost, was dedicated to him by his pupil Triphyllius. It inspired two 7th-century vitae, one by Theodore of Paphos (c. 655) and another possibly by Leontios of Neapolis. The former was used by Symeon the Metaphrast. Arabic and Georgian hagiographies also survive.

In the 650s, when the Arabs took Cyprus, Spyridon's body was disinterred and taken to Constantinople. The relics were found to be incorrupt, and contained a sprig of basil, the "royal plant," both of which were taken as a sign of divine confirmation of his sanctity.

When Constantinople fell to the Ottomans in 1453, Spyridon's relics were removed again. This time, they were taken to the island of Corfu by a Corfiote monk called Kalohairetis (Καλοχαιρέτης), where they remain to this day, in Saint Spyridon Church.