Agios Spyridon, of Cypriot origin, is an important figure in Christianity, particularly connected to the city and island of Corfu, of which he is the patron saint. He is also the patron saint of Piraeus. His memory is celebrated on December 12 by the Orthodox Church and on December 14 by the Catholic Church.
As SanSimera writes, according to church tradition, Saint Spyridon was born around 270 in Askia, today's Assia Famagusta, which is located in the occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus. He came from a humble family and was rather wealthy by the standards of the time, since he owned agricultural land and flocks of sheep. At the urging of his parents, he married a virtuous fellow villager, with whom he had a daughter, named Irini. His grammatical knowledge was limited, but thanks to his virtue and his perfect Christian life, he was elected bishop of Trimythoundos (present-day Tremetousia of Larnaca).
Spyridon, as bishop of Trimythoundos, participated in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325), which shaped the Christian doctrine, and distinguished himself as a severe critic of Arius. In fact, he worked miracles, trying to refute the heretic Arius, who was spreading that Christ is not the Son of God, but a creation of God, questioning the fundamental doctrine of the Holy Trinity for Christianity. To prove the groundlessness of Arius's claims, he put his left hand into his pocket and took out a tile. Showing it to those present at the Synod, he made the sign of the cross with his right hand and said:
-"In the name of the Father". The fathers watching the scene are literally shocked. Because with the words of Spyridon, the fire with which the tile was baked went up.
-"And of the Son", he added. Then the water with which the tile was fermented ran down.
-"And of the Holy Spirit" he added and the soil remained in his hand.
And immediately afterwards, addressing the synod members present, he said:
- My brothers and fathers, just as the tile is a thing of one substance and one nature, but it is tri-composite - fire, water, earth - so is the Holy God. Although we must not liken this Uncreated and Superabundant Nature to a built and perishable creation, nevertheless in order to make the incomprehensible understandable, - may His infinite mercy forgive us - we say and emphasize:God is one in essence and nature . But according to persons or hypostases he is Trinitarian:Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is the so-called "Miracle of Keramos", which is attributed to Saint Spyridon.
Spyridon fell asleep in peace in 348 and due to his virtuous life and the miracles he performed he was ranked among the Saints. In the seventh century his relic was transferred to Constantinople to protect it from Arab raids on Cyprus. After the fall of the city in 1453, it was transferred for safety to the Venetian-occupied Corfu, which since then is closely associated with the Saint and its inhabitants invoke his name in every difficult situation.
In commemoration of the Saint's miracles at decisive moments in the history of Corfu, four litanies of his scene have been established every year, which are carried out with particular splendor and over time have also acquired a touristic character:
- On the first Sunday of November ("New Year's Day"), to rid the island of the plague. Established in 1673.
- On Palm Sunday, for ridding the island of the plague. Established in 1630.
- The Great Saturday for the liberation of the island from famine, due to grain farming. It is an older litany and dates from 1553.
- On the 11th of August for the rescue of the island from the Turks in 1716.
Saint Spyridon is the patron saint of potters and the famous Russian Tolstoy family.