Spiridon Trimifuntsky, or Salamis (Greek. Σπυρίδων Τριμυμούντος; about 270-348) is a Christian Saint, revered in the face of the saints as a miracle worker. Memory in Orthodox Church -12 (25) December, in Catholic Church - 14 December.
According to Church tradition, Spiridon was born on the island of Cyprus in the village of Assiya (Askia) about 270 year. Since childhood sheep herding. My life Spiridon tried to imitate the old Testament righteous: David - meekness, James - in the heart kindness, to Abraham - in the love of strangers. Benevolence and sincere responsiveness attracted to him many: homeless found shelter in his house, Wanderers - food and rest. For the good works God has endowed the future Saint with the gifts of clairvoyance, healing the incurably sick and cast out devils.
In his youth Spiridon married an honest chaste girl. They had a daughter Irina, whom Spiridon himself baptized. Family life did not last long, soon his wife died, but after this heavy loss Spiridon did not become discouraged, and continued to serve God with his good deeds.
During the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great (324-337) and his son Constantius (337-361), Saint Spyridon was elected Bishop of the Cypriot city of Trimifunta. During the prolonged drought and famine in Cyprus, it rained at the prayer of Saint Spyridon, and the calamity ceased. Kindness of the Holy combined with a just severity towards the people unworthy. Through his prayer, the merciless bread merchant was punished, and the poor villagers were freed from hunger and poverty.
Envious slandered one of the friends of the Saint, and he was imprisoned and sentenced to death. The Saint hurried to the rescue, the way was blocked by the high-water flow. Remembering how moved swelling Jordan Joshua (Josh. 3: 14-17), the Saint with firm faith in the omnipotence of God offered prayer, and the flow parted. Together with his companions, unwitting witnesses of the miracle, Saint Spyridon crossed the dry land to the other side. Warned of what had happened, the judge met the Saint with honour and released the innocent.
According to Church tradition, Saint Spyridon performed many miracles. One day during the service in the lampada burned down the oil, and it began to fade away. The Saint was grieved, but the Lord comforted him: the lamp was wonderfully filled with oil. There is a case when Saint Spyridon was served invisibly by angels, and after each litany the singing of angels was heard: "Lord, have mercy." The Saint healed the seriously ill Emperor Constantius; he revived his dead daughter Irina so that she could tell where she had hidden the jewels that had been given to her for safekeeping by a noble woman, after which Irina's soul left her body again; in Antioch raised the baby of a Gentile, and then the mother fell down dead from the shock of what he saw a miracle.
Seeing the secret sins of the people, the Saint called them to repentance and correction. Those who did not heed the voice of conscience and the words of the Saint were punished by God.
In 325, by order of Emperor Constantine the Great, the first Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Nicaea, the purpose of which was to determine the basic truths of the Orthodox faith and to condemn the heresy of priest Aria. Thanks to the miraculous evidence of Saint Spyridon, Arianism was condemned and rejected by the hierarchs of the Church.
As Bishop Saint Spyridon showed the flock an example of virtuous life and hard work: grazing sheep, removing bread. He was extremely concerned about the strict observance of the Church rank and the preservation of the Holy Scripture in all its inviolability. The Saint strictly denounced the priests, who in their sermons inaccurately used the words of the gospel and other inspired books.
It is believed that God revealed to the Saint the approach of his death. The last words of the Saint were about love for God and neighbors. The Saint died around the year 348 during prayer. Buried him in the Church of the Holy apostles in Trimifunt.
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