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[[Image:Spyridon.jpg|right|frame|St. Spyridon of Trimythous]]Our father among the [[saint]]s '''Spyridon of Trimythous the Wonderworker'''Spiridon(Greek: Σπυρίδων ca. 270-348) was a fourth century [[bishop]] who was present at the [[First Ecumenical Council]]. He is also commonly referred to in Corfu as ''Keeper of the City' ' (Greek: ο πολιούχος), since he is also the [[patron saint]] of that island (this is where his [[relics]] are located and venerated). He is commemorated by the church on [[December 12]]. Spyridon was born in Tremithous the village of Ashia (''askia'' - "without shade"), Cyprus (270 AD) and died in Trimythous, Cyprus in 270 (348 AD). He had no education. Like his parents, he was a peasant farmer and shepherdand was not educated. Spyridon was married and had a daughter, and even after Irene. After his wife died , he and he his daughter both entered into [[monasticism]]. He later became the [[Bishop]] of Trimythous (during the reign of Tremithous, he did little to change his humble way of living. Through simplicity [[Constantine the Great]]) and deep devotion to God, continued in piety for which he worked miracles throughout his life and became was greatly known as a great wonderworker, calling forth rain in . He is the midst patron saint of drought, healing and even raising people potters (from the dead, in addition miracle of the potsherd). ==Persecutions and witness to having Orthodox Faith==During the gift of prescienceMaximilian persecutions (295 AD) he was arrested and exiled. He In 325 AD, he was present at the [[First Ecumenical Councilof [[Nicea]] of Nicea in 325 AD where he astonished many with his simple explanations of the [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] Faith. Though not well-educated, he surprised everyone at the Council of Nicea by converting a famous philosopher to Orthodoxy from [[Arianism]]. He explained the unity and diversity of the Trinity by holding up a brick, then commonly thought to be a combination of the elements fire, earth and water; as he spoke, fire blazed from the top of the brick while water gushed out underneath. There too, at Nicea, he met St. [[Nicholasof Myra]], with whom he formed a lasting friendship. During  ==Miracles==Through simplicity and deep devotion to God, he worked miracles throughout his life and became known as a great [[wonder-worker]], calling forth rain in the midst of drought, casting out demons with a single word, healing the sick and even raising people from the dead, in addition to having the Maximilian persecutions gift of prescience. When he arrived back home from Nicea a woman told him that she had given his daughter, who had died while he was arrested away, some jewelry for safekeeping. Now that his daughter was dead, no one could find where she had put them. Spyridon went to his daughter's grave, spoke to her, and was able to restore the jewelry to its owner.  Also during a famine Spyridon changed a snake into gold pieces so that a poor man could buy food from a greedy merchant who had cornered the supply.  One day there was only himself and the [[deacon]] and readers in church at [[vespers]], and the responses could be heard beautifully chanted by an unseen choir. The music was so beautiful that others, passing by, heard it and saw through the windows what seemed like a large congregation. Entering the church, however, they found only St. Spyridon and his assistants. ==Departure and exiledrelics==[[Image:Spyridon slippers.jpg|right|thumb|250px|One of the pairs of St. Spyridon's slippers, housed at the cathedral dedicated to him in Worcester, Massachusetts]]St. He Spyridon lived most of his earthly life in Cyprus , where he also reposed in 348 ADand was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Trimythous.  When the Saracens took the island, the Cypriots opened his grave in order to remove his sacred bones to Constantinople. They found that his body had remained intact, while from the grave emanated a scent of basil, true signs of the sainthood he had shown during his lifetime. When Constantinople fell in 1453, he was transferred to Serbia, then a Corfiot elder, Georgios Kalohairetis, brought him to the island of Corfu in Greece where he is currently burriedburied.  To this day his St. Spyridon's [[Incorruptibility|incorrupt ]] [[relics ]] at his [[shrine]] in Corfu continue to manifest the power of God, wondrous in His saints. He is called the "walking [[saint]]" because the silk slippers which clothe the feet of his relics wear out each year and are replaced on his [[feast day]]. His miracle in Corfu against the Turkish invasion of 1716 is commemorated on [[August 11]]. ==Other information==* '''The Tolstoy family story''' - The Tolstoy family, have also adopted St. Spyridon as their patron saint. In the 15th century, Andrei Tolstoy chose the saint as the family's patron and he remains so in both branched to this day. There are stories that say, that the Grand Prince of Muscovy Basil II(1425-1462) gave a gold cross to Andrei, with relics of the saint inside. This apparently survives and is owned by Count Nikolai Tolstoy, the Church on most senior member of the Tolstoy family. ==Sources and further details==* http://www.roca.org/OA/95/95h.htm* [http://www.saintspiridon.org/stspiridon.html ''Life of St. Spiridon'']], ed. Alan Mack, (c) 1995.* http://www.terrakerkyra.gr/history/en/pisti/* [[w:Saint Spyridon|Saint Spyridon (Wikipedia)]]* Icons: [December 12http://www.iconograms.org/sig.php?eid=332], [http://www.iconograms.org/sig.php?eid=705]*[http://www.comeandseeicons.com/s/inp123.htm Icon of St. Spyridon] [[Category:Bishops]][[Category:3rd-4th-century bishops]][[Category:Saints]][[Category:Byzantine Saints]][[Category:Greek Saints]][[Category:Wonderworkers]][[Category:4th-century saints]] [[el:Σπυρίδων Τριμυθούντος]][[fr:Spyridon de Trimythonte]][[ro:Spiridon al Trimitundei]]