Theodore Tiron

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Saint Theodore Tiron, also known as Theodore of Amasea or Theodore the Recruit, was a Christian soldier and a Great Martyr who lived in the late 3rd to early 4th century. He came from Amasea (modern Amasya, Turkey). During the Great Persecution under Diocletian, he refused to worship pagan gods. When ordered to renounce his faith, he confessed Jesus and burned the temple of Cybele in Amasea. He was arrested, tortured, and martyred by fire, around 287–306 CE. His relics were later moved to Euchaita, and his devotion spread widely in the East.

Theodore is usually shown as a horseman in military dress, often slaying a dragon or serpent. This dragon-slayer image became a common symbol of his victory over evil and inspired many legends throughout the Christian world. He is venerated as a Great Martyr by the Eastern Orthodox Church and is also honored by Roman Catholics and Oriental Orthodox Christians. In the Middle Ages he was one of Byzantium’s most popular military saints, with many churches dedicated to him.

He is the patron saint of soldiers and was once Venice’s patron saint before St. Mark. His feast days vary: Eastern churches celebrate on February 17 (and, in some traditions, on the first Saturday of Great Lent), while Western churches historically observed November 9. For a time there was confusion with another saint named Theodore (Theodore Stratelates), but most scholars now regard Theodore Tiron as the sole saint behind the legends.