Demetrius of Thessaloniki
Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki | |
|---|---|
 12th-century mosaic depicting St Demetrios, from the Golden-Roofed Monastery in Kiev | |
| "The Megalomartyr"; Mitar | |
| Born | 3rd Century |
| Died | 306 |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholicism |
| Major shrine | Thessaloniki, Greece |
| Feast | 26 October |
| Attributes | depicted wearing the armour of a Roman soldier, often seated on a red horse |
| Patronage | patron of the Crusades |
- Saint Demetrius redirects here. For another saint, see Demetrius of Alexandria.
Saint Demetrius (or Demetrios) of Thessaloniki (Greek: Άγιος Δημήτριος της Θεσσαλονίκης) was a Christian martyr who is said to have lived in the 4th century. He is also referred to as "the Megalomartyr" by the Greeks. The origins of his cult are obscure; the first evidence of its existence comes about 175 years after his martyrdom, and most modern scholars do not believe there was in fact a historical St. Demetrius martyred in Thessaloniki.
Traditional hagiography recounts that Demetrius was a deacon in Thessaloniki who was run through with spears in around 306 in Thessaloniki, during the Christian persecutions of emperor Diocletian or Galerius. Later traditions about Demetrius credit him with a military career in the Roman army, so he is sometimes considered a military martyr.
He was extremely popular in the Middle Ages, and along with Saint George, was the patron of the Crusades.
St. Demetrius' relics are kept in Thessaloniki, Greece, a city of which he is the patron saint. His memory is celebrated on 26 October. He is also revered by the Serbian Orthodox Church as Mitar, having a feast of Mitrovdan on 8 November, which is a public holiday in the Republika Srpska part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
St. Demetrius is commonly spelled as St. Dimitrios by Greek immigrants in Australia, Canada and the United States.
Iconography
St. Demetrius is most commonly depicted in icons, mosaics and frescoes wearing the armour of a Roman soldier, although before about 600 AD, he is simply portrayed in robes. After the Fall of Constantinople, St. Demetrius began to be associated with St. George and together with him was portrayed mounted upon a horse, always a red horse for St. Demetrius and a white one for St. George. Equestrian images of the saint can be dated by this depiction.
An additional iconographical convention is to depict Demetrius with the White Tower of Thessaloniki in the background. The tower depicted in the icons was built in the 16th century, centuries after his life, as the architecture of the older tower in the exact site is unknown.
External links
Bibliography
- James C. Skedros, Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki: Civic Patron and Divine Protector 4th-7th Centuries CE, Trinity Press International, 1999. Summarized in Harvard Theological Review 89:410 (1996). in JSTOR
- James C. Skedros, "Reponse to David Woods" Harvard Theological Review 93:3:235 (July 2000). at JSTOR
- David Woods, "Thessalonica's Patron: Saint Demetrius or Emeterius?" Harvard Theological Review 93:3:221-234 (July 2000). at JSTOR