Saint Christopher

Saint Christopher (Greek: Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, romanized: Hágios Christóphoros, lit. 'Christ-bearer'; Latin: Sanctus Christophorus) is a legendary figure venerated by several Christian denominations as a martyr and saint. According to these traditions, he was killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman emperor Decius (r. 249–251), or alternatively under the emperor Maximinus Daia (r. 308–313). A church was dedicated to the saint in Chalcedon (near present-day Istanbul) as early as 452. His veneration spread not only in the East but also to the West, where he is counted among the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

Of the numerous legendary motifs, the one relating to his name — that of the Christ-bearer carrying the divine child across the river — is the best known today. The most famous legend connected to the saint recounts that after converting to Christianity, he devoted his life to carrying travelers across a river. One day he carried an unknown young boy across a river after which the boy revealed himself as Christ. Because of his help to travelers, he became the patron saint of travelers. In the iconography of the Western Church, the saint is often depicted as a giant with a staff carrying the infant Jesus across a river on his shoulders. Small images of him are often worn around the neck, on a bracelet, carried in a pocket, or placed in vehicles. The Eastern Church tradition depicts the saint as a cynocephalus ('dog-headed creature') in a literal interpretation of its legendary tradition.