Description
This contemporary fresco style icon of the holy martyr adorns the church of St. John the Baptist in Des Plaines, Illinois.
Saint Eleutherius, the son of an illustrious Roman citizen, was raised in Christian piety by his mother, Evanthia (Anthia). His virtue was such that at the age twenty, he had been elevated to bishop of Illyria. In the reign of the emperor Hadrian, Saint Eleutherius was tortured for his bold preaching about Christ, then was beheaded at Rome with his mother.