We will commemorate St. Demetrios on the eve of his feast day on Thursday, October 25, 2018.

Who Was St. Demetrios?

The holy, glorious and right-victorious Great-martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki the Myrrh-streamer (also Demetrios) is one of the most popular saints in the Orthodox world. He was martyred around the year 306 in Thessalonica, and his cult rapidly grew during the Middle Ages, when he was regarded as the first recognized patron and protector of the city, militarily as well as spiritually. His feast day is celebrated on October 26. The Serbian Orthodox Church commemorates the Saint as a Mitar having a feast of Mitrovan on November 8.

Demetrios came from a noble family of the Roman province of Macedonia. Through this noble ancestry and through his own ability and virtue he rose to a high military position under Galerius Maximian, Caesar of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire (with Diocletian as the Augustus, or senior emperor). Despite this position in the still-pagan empire, he remained fervent in faith and works for Christ, encouraging many Christians to endure persecution and even bringing many pagans to the faith.

When Maximian returned from one of his campaigns to Thessaloniki, which he had made his capital, he had pagan games and sacrifices celebrated for his triumph. Demetrios was denounced by pagans who were envious of his success, and he was thrown into prison. While in prison he was visited by a young Christian named Nestor, who asked him for a blessing to engage in single combat with the giant Lyaios (or Lyaeus), who was posing as the champion of paganism. Demetrios gave his blessing and Nestor, against all odds, slew his opponent in the arena, as David had once defeated Goliath.

The enraged emperor, learning that this had occurred with Demetrios’s aid, first had Nestor beheaded outside the city and then had Demetrios impaled in prison. Later Demetrios’s servant Lupus was beheaded after using his master’s blood-stained tunic and signet ring to work many miracles. The Christians buried Demetrios and Nestor next together in the bath where Demetrios had been imprisoned. During the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh was found emanating from his tomb, giving rise to the appellation Mirovlitis, the Myrrh Gusher to his name. His tomb containing his relics is now in the crypt of the Church of St. Demetrios in Thessaloniki.

St. Demetrios is revered as the patron saint of Thessaloniki and is believed by the people as having intervened to save the city over the years from invading foreigners, from the Slavic nations, Bulgarians, Arabs, Saracens, and others. While well remembered in the Hellenic world, the memory of the Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki found an attachment in the Slavic, particularly the Russian, world from the times of the Russian Primary Chronicle.

Source: The Orthodoxwiki website.

Remember This?

First published on September 17, 2017 after hurricane Irma last year.

St. Demetrios Visits St. Peter’s

I shared the following on Facebook earlier this week:

After checking church today I entered my office (dark, no power) and as I opened the door a very strong aroma of myrrh had filled the office, and by strong I mean it was palpable.

I located the source and it came from this icon that had some myrrh from the relics of St Demetrios of Thessaloniki. It exuded through the plastic.

The Orthodox will understand the meaning of this. It is a sign of the protection of St. Demetrios towards our parish. I moved the icon to our still barren altar area.

God is glorified through His Saints.