Demetrius of Thessaloniki
Demetrius of Thessalonica | |
|---|---|
12th-century mosaic depicting Saint Demetrius, from the Golden-Roofed Monastery in Kyiv | |
| Great-Martyr, Myroblyte | |
| Born | 270 Thessalonica, Macedonia, Roman Empire |
| Died | 306 or 305 Thessalonica, Macedonia, Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | |
| Major shrine | Hagios Demetrios, Thessaloniki |
| Feast | Orthodox Churches: 26 October and on All-Saints of Salonica (aka Thessalonica and Thessaloniki), on 3rd Sunday of Pascha (Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women); Roman Catholic Church: 9 April & 8 October |
| Attributes | depicted wearing the armour of a Roman soldier, usually carrying a spear, often seated on a red horse |
| Patronage | Thessaloniki, Siberia, Sremska Mitrovica, Kosovska Mitrovica, Calgary; soldiers; Crusades (in Roman Catholic tradition); agriculture, peasants and shepherds (in the Greek countryside during Middle Ages); construction industry in Bulgaria, winter, snow, cold |
Saint Demetrius (or Demetrios) of Thessalonica (Greek: Ἅγιος Δημήτριος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, Hágios Dēmḗtrios tēs Thessaloníkēs), also known as the Holy Great-Martyr Demetrius the Myroblyte (meaning 'the Myrrh-Gusher' or 'Myrrh-Streamer'; 3rd century – 306), was a Greek Christian martyr of the early 4th century AD.
During the Middle Ages, he came to be revered as one of the most important Orthodox military saints, often paired with Saint George of Lydda.
In the Roman Catholic Church he is most commonly called Demetrius of Sirmium and his memorial is 9 April in the 2004 Roman Martyrology and 8 October in the martyrology of the Extraordinary Form. It is debated whether Demetrius of Thessalonica and Demetrius of Sirmium are the same person.