Icon of Saint Chrysanthos – S252

Description

Saint Chrysanthos was of noble lineage.  He moved with his family from Alexandria to Rome in the mid 3rd century, and was  well educated there because he was the only son of his wealthy parents.  Saint Chrysanthos, however, began to look for a single Truth beyond the worldly wisdom that he had learned, and God heard this interior cry of the young man.  Soon he was providentially given a copy of the Holy Gospels which turned his heart towards Christ.   He then sought a nearby priest Carpothorus, who taught him carefully, and baptized him into the Christian Faith.

Saint Chrysanthos’ father was upset by this change in his son and arranged for a beautiful young pagan woman, Daria, to be brought from Greece to marry his son and influence him to leave Christianity.  Instead, Saint Daria was converted too, and they both pledged celibacy, living together as brother and sister, and converting many others also to live celibate lives.  The authorities imprisoned and tried them, but Saint Chrysanthos’ torturer, the Tribune Claudius, was converted and then suffered as a martyr.  Finally, they were killed in the time of Emperor Numerian (a.d. 283-284).