All we know about him from ancient sources is that he was martyred in Asia Minor. There is a church, built in his name, in Bithynia, dating back to the year 452 AD. His honor included both East and West. What has reached us today seems to date back to the eighth century AD. His news, here and there, is not the same. More than one tradition regarding this matter has been circulated throughout history. It was known, especially in the West, in Spain, Italy and Germany. He is the patron saint of those suffering from epidemics and infectious diseases, as well as the patron saint of travelers. They also resort to it during times of storms and floods.
It was said that he was from Syria, and his name was also linked to “Lysia” in Asia Minor, and it was said that he became a Christian in Antioch. Another tradition makes him from a tribe known as the “Cenocephalic” tribe, meaning those with heads that resemble the heads of dogs. This tribe, as scholars show, settled in the province of Thessaly.
They say that he was martyred during the time of the Roman Emperor Decius Caesar in the middle of the third century AD. It was mentioned that his name before he became a Christian was Reprobos, which means: worthless.
He was huge, tall, huge. There is something frightening and violent in his facial features. Later icon painters sometimes depicted him with the face of a dog because they took the name of the tribe to which he was thought to belong literally. However, another narration shows that he was, originally, a beautiful person. When he became a Christian, he wanted to protect himself and others from the evil of physical temptation, so he asked the Lord God to grant him a repulsive appearance, and he became a face like the face of a dog.
Until he was told to become a Christian, he sympathized with Christians because he glorified injustice and saw them as oppressed, led to slaughter and not opening their mouths. Once he defended them publicly, angering one of the prominent pagans, and within him was the spirit of humility. When Bacchus - that was the name of the pagan - slapped him in the face, he faced him with brokenness and did not respond to him, out of imitation of Christians and for the sake of Christ.
There is a narration that makes him, initially, a servant of Satan. It seemed that the devil was watching him. One time, Christophoros noticed that Satan feared the cross of Christ. Since Christophorus was a lover of the powerful ten, his desire led him to recognize the one before whom Satan trembles, and so he came to Christ.
When he came to believe in Jesus, it was reported that he was searching for Christ. He was guided by a holy sheikh who lived in an unknown cave, in silence. This told him about faith in Christ. Please note what was reported regarding his connection to this saintly sheikh. The sheikh said to him: The king whom you want to serve constantly asks you to fast. He replied: “I am asking for something else because I cannot do what you are asking for.” The Sheikh said: “Then you have to wake up early every day for the sake of many prayers.” He replied: “And I cannot do this either.” Finally, the sheikh said to him: “Do you know such-and-such a river where many travelers are swallowed up during a flood, and boats cannot resist its current? He answered in the affirmative, so Sheikh Karamah continued: “Since your structure is strong, you must live next to the river and carry everyone who wants to cross the river. This work will please the Lord Jesus Christ whom you want to serve. I hope that the day will come when He will reveal Himself to you.” The saint replied: “Certainly this is a service I can perform, and I promise you that.”
Christophoros passed away - and this became his name after he received Christ. His name means Christ-bearer - I say he went to that place, next to the river, and built himself a hut of stones and covered it with tree branches to live in. He also brought a large stick that he held in his hand to help him maintain his balance in the water. He began to sit on the shore, helping those crossing the river. He continued this service for a period of time. One night, the weather was stormy and the rain was heavy, so he heard the voice of a child calling him from outside: Christophoros, come out and carry me across the river. The voice returned to him three times. Finally, he went out looking for the source of protection and found a child on the beach asking him to carry him and carry him across. He carried it bravely and went into the cold water, amidst this dangerous atmosphere. With effort he crossed and reached the other side. When he arrived, the child jumped off his shoulders and declared himself to be the same Lord Jesus whom he wished to serve, and said to him: Your name will be Christophoros from now on because you bore Christ! It was said that the Lord God gave him a sign that he would plant his stick next to the hut and he would see, tomorrow, that it would produce flowers and fruits, then he disappeared from him. Indeed, as soon as the next morning arrived, Christophoros found the stick like a palm tree bearing flowers and date leaves.
Whatever the case, Christoforos was arrested for his faith in Christ. Decius sent two hundred soldiers to fetch him. On the way, the Lord God granted a miracle to be performed by His servant, like the miracle of the multiplication of loaves, so the soldiers ate and were satisfied. As a result, they became Christians, and they died by having their throats cut off and burned after Decius learned about them.
Christophoros was stopped before the Caesar, and he admired him and wanted to bring him to him by trickery. He imprisoned him and sent to him, in prison, two prostituted women who seduced him and forced him to submit to idols. The opposite result occurred, as the two women, named Clinica and Eklina, converted. These two, too, were condemned by Decius to a difficult death for their faith, and were included in the ranks of the martyrs.
As for Christophoros, after a series of tortures to which they subjected him, he was beheaded.
Among those who bore witness to the miracles of Saint Christophorus was Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. Saint Gregory the Great (6th century AD) mentioned a monastery in Sicily bearing the name of Christophoros
Concerning his remains, it appears that a large portion of them were transported to Toledo, Spain, and are located today in the Monastery of Saint Dionysius in France. As for us in the East, his skull is located in the Karkalo Monastery on Mount Athos. There are parts of it in other places, including the Monastery of Dionysio and the Monastery of Saint John the Beloved in Patmos.
The biography of the saint as contained in the Book of Lives of the Saints (Synaxarium)
The church celebrates him on May 9
Troparia in the fourth tune
You have flaunted yourself in the robes of your blood, and you have represented before the Lord the King of Heaven, O ever-remembered Christophorus. Therefore, you, along with those of infirm bodies and ranks of martyrs, recite the awesome, triple-sainted hymn. Through your supplications, your servants are saved.
