CHRIS'TOPHER. SAINT. A saint of the Ro man Catholic and (;reek churches, Ile is stmposcd to have suffered martyrdom about the middle of the Third Century. According to vulgar legend, Christopher, whose name was originally Adokimos (the ignoble, base), was a native of Palestine. Syria, or Lyeia, and a person of prodigious bulk and strength. Ilis height was twelve feet. So proud was he of his gigantic frame that lie would serve only the mightiest princes. Having attached himself to one, who passed for the greatest of his day, Christopher stayed with him for a short, time, but soon discovered that his master was terribly afraid of tile devil, in consequence of which Chris topher, with fearless consistency. passed into the service of the latter. One day, however, when the devil and he chanced to be walking through a wood, they came across an image of Christ. His new master exhibited such perturbation and alarm at the sight that Christopher entirely lost conlidenee in him, and resolved to find out the Saviour, and follow him. For a long while he searched in vain. but finally he fell in with a hermit, who showed him Christ, and baptized him. Christopher despised the customary pen ances, and, in consequence. it was imposed on him to carry Christian pilgrims on his shoulders over a stream which had no bridge. One day a little child came to the stream; Christopher took it on his shoulders, but soon began to sink under the weight of his burden. The child was Christ him
self, and to prove it, be commanded Christopher to thrust his staff into the ground. lie did so, and next morning it had blossomed into a palm-tree bearing fruit. This miracle converted thousands to Christianity. Christopher's success excited the enmity of Damn's, the prefect of that region, who put him in prison, scourged him with red hot rods, put a burning helmet on his head, and clapped him on a burning stool. Christopher still remained uninjured. Multitudes of poisoned arrows were now discharged against him, but they rebounded from his charmed body, and one even ,wounded the prefect himself in the eye. Christopher pitied his tormentor, and freely of fered his head to the executioner, that the prefect might be healed by the blood which should flow from it. This was done. and, as a matter of course, Dagnus and his family became Chris tians. The Greek Church celebrates his festival on May 9; the Roman Catholic, on July 25.
Saint Christopher was greatly invoked in times of pestilence, or when people were digging for treasures, to frighten away the spirits who watched over them. The formula used was called a Christopher's prayer. He was also the patron of an order of moderation, founded in Austria in 1517, for the purpose of checking excessive drinking and swearing, and which was called the Order of Saint Christopher.