Saints Chrysanthus and Daria
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| Saints Chrysanthus and Daria | |
|---|---|
 The martyrdom of Saints Chrysanthus and Daria. From a 14th century manuscript |
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| Born | unknown |
| Died | 283 |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Coptic Church |
| Feast | Western March 19; Eastern Orthodox April 1 |
 Saints Portal |
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Saints Chrysanthus and Daria (died c. 283) are saints of the Early Christian period. According to legend, Chrysanthus was the only son of an Egyptian patrician, named Polemius or Poleon, who lived during the reign of Numerian. His father moved from Alexandria to Rome. Chrysanthus was educated in the finest manner of the era. Disenchanted with the excess in the Roman world, he began reading the Acts of the Apostles.
He was then baptized and educated in Christian thinking by a priest named Carpophorus. His father was unhappy with Chrysanthus' conversion, and attempted to inculcate his son in the secular world by tempting him with prostitutes, but Chrysanthus retained his virginity. He objected when his father arranged a marriage to Daria, a Greek priestess of Minerva. Chrysanthus converted his new bride and convinced her to live with him in a chaste state.
They went on to convert a number of Romans. When this illegal act was made known to Claudius, the tribune, Chrysanthus was arrested and tortured. Chrysanthus' faith and fortitude under torture was so impressive to Claudius that he and his wife, Hilaria, two sons, and seventy of his soldiers became Christians. For this betrayal, the emperor had Claudius drowned, his sons beheaded and his wife went to the gallows. Daria was sent to live as a prostitute, but her chastity was defended by a lion. She was brought before Numerian and ordered to be executed by stoning and then burial alive in a deep pit beside her husband. They were entombed in a sand pit near the Via Salaria Nova, the catacombs in Rome.
Their tomb became a pilgrimage site for early Christians soon after their death. Soon after the death of Chrysanthus and Daria, when several followers, among them Diodorus, a priest, and Marianus, a deacon, were found praying in the catacombs on the anniversary of their martyrdom, they were all entombed within the crypt alive. Diodorus and Marianus were also canonized as well. A church was later built above the sandpit. The two martyrs were particularly popular in 4th century Rome, and their names appear in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum. In the 9th century, the remains of Chrysanthus and Daria were brought to Prum in modern-day Rheinland-Pfalz.
Chrysanthus is also venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Troparion associated with him is: "Let us honor the like-minded pair of Martyrs,/ Chrysanthus scion of purity, and supremely modest Daria./ United in holiness of faith, they shone forth as communicants of God the Word./ They fought lawfully for Him and now save those who sing:/ Glory to Him Who has strengthened you; glory to Him Who has crowned you;/ glory to Him Who through you works healings for all." The Kontakion associated with Chrysanthus is: "O Chrysanthus, in the sweet fragrance of holiness/ thou didst draw Daria to saving knowledge./ Together in contest you routed the serpent, the author of all evil,/ and were worthily taken up to the heavenly realms." His was a precongregational canonization. St. Chrysanthus' feast day is the Western Church is October 25. In the Eastern Orthodox Church his feast day is April 2 (March 19 Old Calendar).
The relics of Sts. Chrysanthus and Daria are found in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Rome.
[edit] External links
- Catholic Encyclopedia
- Patron Saint Index
- Holy Protection Russian Orthodox Church
- Holy Martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria in Orthodoxy
- of Saints
- This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
