Saint Christopher with a horse's head. Great Martyr Christopher: a saint with a dog's head. Prayer before the icon

"One repentant sinner is worth more than a hundred righteous"
Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, verse 7, "The Parable of the Lost Sheep."

A giant with a dog (rarely horse) head, the barbarian Reprev, who was distinguished by his enormous growth and physical strength - this is how the image of St. Christopher was remembered in the Eastern Christian tradition, rooted in the Latin prose and verse texts of the subdeacon Walter of Speyer "Thesaurus anecdotorum novissimus", dating back to 983 But this is only a literary adaptation of earlier legends that spread around the 6th century. The story describes a powerful barbarian, a native of the region of Marmarik, who served in the Roman cohort Cohors III Valeria Marmaritarum), and after that he believed in Christ, carried his teachings to the masses, performed miracles and was martyred.
The history of this character was described in detail in the collection of Christian legends and entertaining lives of saints, the Golden Legend, by Jacob Voraginsky. This work was written around 1260, and in the XIV-XVI centuries. the second most popular after the Bible. Through the work of Jacob Voraginsky, also relying on numerous references to cynocephals by ancient authors such as Herodotus, Ctesias, Megasthenes, Pliny the Elder and others, the image of the holy head dog gained popularity, the echo of which could not be hidden by the official church.

The depiction of Christopher on icons "with a dog's head", as well as some other "controversial" iconographic subjects - all this was forbidden by the decision of the Synod of 1722, as "contrary to nature, history and truth itself." Since then, Christopher has been depicted as anthropomorphic, most often in the form of a mighty warrior. The Church, opposing everything that rapidly breaks the pattern, continued the repression of this great martyr, and in 1969 the official Vatican lowered Christopher's Commemoration Day to the level of locally revered holidays. But no one decanonized Christopher, and therefore today he remains an official Christian saint.

The image of a dog's head could arise for several reasons. So, the least probable, but still the version that has the right to exist, is that Christopher was indeed a cynocephalus. This is hard to believe today, but who knows what happened there two thousand years ago? Another, more likely version is the excessive impressionability of medieval interpreters of ancient myths, who literally took the information about the bestial nature of Christopher, which, at the turn of the eras, was attributed by Roman storytellers to all representatives of barbarian tribes.

There is a possibility that the person who became the prototype of Christopher suffered from a rare type of genetic mutation, now referred to as universal hypertrichosis (hypertrichosis universalis) or werewolf syndrome, as a result of which the human body is almost completely covered with thick hair, including the face. Perhaps the Christian saint had a nickname, interpreted by followers as a characteristic of his appearance. The mystery of such an exotic iconography of Christopher the Cynocephalus remains unsolved. But the very image of the saint, the description of his deeds, and even the situation that led the savage to Christianity - all this is as unusual as it is wonderful.

Repreva was baptized by Jesus himself. The barbarian at that time helped people to overcome the swift mountain river ford, transporting them on his back. One day, a little boy asked him to help him cross the river. Reprev took the child on his back and tried to move him, but in the middle of the river the child suddenly became very heavy. The boy told him that he was Christ and was carrying all the burdens of the world with him. Then he baptized Reprev in the river, and he received his new name - Christopher, "carrying Christ." In iconography, such an image of Christopher was fixed - a giant with a baby on his shoulders at the moment of crossing the river.

Today, Saint Christopher is considered mainly the guardian of travelers. His image is loved and respected by pilots, drivers and sailors. A medallion with the name of the saint with the inscription "Si en San Cristóbal confías, de accidente no morirás" (If you believe in Saint Christopher, you will not die in an accident) is considered an excellent amulet on any journey.

The dog-headed Christian saint Christopher, according to the legends, knew how to work miracles, like Christ, and his faith was so strong that the harlots sent to corrupt the spirit of the righteous returned to their vile Christian employers. As a result, desperate to break Christopher, Emperor Decius Trajan ordered him to be beheaded. Christopher Psoglavets left behind only a legend and an image - the image of the most unusual of Christian saints.

During the reign of Emperor Decius Trajan, a man who bore the name Reprev(Ρεπρεβος, cf. lat. Reprobus "rejected, condemned, bad") was captured by the Romans during the battle in Marmarik. Later he served in Numerus marmaritarum(Roman cohort Cohors III Valeria Marmaritarum) - a division of the Marmarites (Marmarids) (natives of the Marmarik region or representatives of the Berber tribe). He was a man of enormous stature and terrifying behavior, he was a cynocephalic (with a dog's head), like all members of his tribe.

Even before baptism, Reprev professed faith in Christ and denounced those who persecuted Christians. For this, he was once beaten by a certain Bacchus and accepted the beatings with humility. Soon after, 200 soldiers were sent to bring him, a famous strong man, to the emperor Decius. Repreve obeyed without resistance. Miracles happened on the way: the rod in the hand of the saint blossomed (cf. Aaron's rod), through his prayer, the loaves that the travelers lacked were multiplied, similar to the multiplication of loaves by Jesus Christ in the wilderness. The soldiers who accompanied Reprev were amazed by miracles, believed in Christ, and together with Reprev were baptized by the Bishop of Antioch, the martyr Babyla.

After baptism, Reprev received the name "Christopher" and began to preach the Christian faith, using the opportunity given by the angel to speak the previously unfamiliar language of the Lycians (cf. the glossolalia of the apostles). When Christopher was brought to the emperor, (option - the governor of Antioch), he was horrified by his appearance. He decided to force him to renounce God not by violence, but by cunning. Decius called two harlot women - Kallinikia and Akilinu, and ordered them to persuade the saint to renounce Christ and offer sacrifices to the Roman gods. But the women, returning to the emperor, declared themselves Christians, for which they were subjected to cruel tortures and died as martyrs.

Decius also sentenced to death the soldiers sent after Saint Christopher, who believed in Christ. The emperor ordered that the martyr be thrown into a red-hot copper box. However, Saint Christopher experienced no suffering and remained unharmed. After many cruel tortures, the martyr was finally beheaded with a sword. His body was taken back to Alexandria Peter of Attalia.

About St. There are many legends about Christopher Pseglavets. According to one of them, Christopher (his name before baptism Rebrebus) belonged to the tribe of cannibals of the psaglavians, who are so often mentioned in Greek myths. According to another, the young man Christopher was so attractive that women did not give him rest, constantly leading him into temptation. Christopher asked God to save him from this problem, and God gave him a dog's head, after which the saint became ugly "like a dog." The second version is also supported by the Sviyazh icon-painting tradition, depicting Christopher not with a dog's head, but with a horse's head. Sculptures of the saint have also been preserved, one of which is kept in the Notre Dame Cathedral.

The most plausible explanation for the appearance of such a strange saint is that the Copts (Egyptians) wanted to preserve their beloved image of the god Anubis in their new Christian religion. Indeed, the similarity is complete:

Such attempts to prove the continuity of customary paganism and the new Christianity were, apparently, very common. But, presumably, most of these icons were destroyed during the period of iconoclasm. It is possible that such icons with images shocking the modern Christian helped Christian preachers to find a common language with the dark pagan population of the distant provinces of the Roman Empire. But thanks to such an incorrect method of evangelism, purely pagan practices of worshiping a vast pantheon of saints, prayer-spells, amulets, sacred images, monasteries, beliefs about the afterlife, rites, the fulfillment of which is considered a condition of salvation, etc., entered Christianity.

In the Synaxarion of Constantinople there is an indication that the unusual appearance of the saint and his origin from the country of dog-headed people and cannibals "should be understood symbolically, as a state of rudeness and ferocity during his stay as a pagan." The bestial likeness of Christopher is not mentioned at all in the Synaxarion of St. Nikodim the Holy Mountaineer, “it is only reported that he had an ugly face.” It is also known that "St. Demetrius of Rostov spoke out against the bestial images of St. Christopher."

One of the legends says that Christopher was a Roman of enormous stature, originally named Reprev. He converted to Christianity and began to serve Jesus. Other legends say that his name was offero and he was born in Canaan. Basically, the Catholic tradition is based on the "Golden Legend" of Jacob Voraginsky.

The simple-hearted giant Reprev is looking for the most powerful lord to enter his service. He enters the service of the king, but realizes that he is afraid of the devil. He offers his services to the devil, but realizes that he trembles at the sight of the cross.

The giant seeks out the holy hermit and asks him how he can serve Christ. The hermit took him to a dangerous ford across the river and told him that his great size and strength made him an excellent candidate to help people cross the dangerous water. He began to carry travelers on his back.

One day he was asked to be carried across the river by a little boy. In the middle of the river, he became so heavy that Christopher was afraid that they would both drown. The boy told him that he was Christ and was carrying all the burdens of the world with him. Then Jesus baptized Reprev in the river, and he received his new name - Christopher, "carrying Christ."

Then the Child told Christopher that he could stick a branch into the ground. This branch miraculously grew into a fruitful tree. This miracle converted many to faith. Enraged by this, the local ruler (or even the Roman emperor Decius - in Western tradition, he acts under the name Dagnus), imprisoned Christopher in prison, where, after long torment, he found a martyr's death.

Memorial Day of the Martyr Christopher in the Orthodox calendar on May 9 (22), in the Catholic calendar on July 24 (Germany, Lithuania), July 25 (Italy), in the Evangelical calendar - July 24.

In 1969, the Vatican removed St. Christopher from the universal Catholic calendar. However, the holiday remained in the local calendars of Catholic countries.

The relics and the head of the saint, kept for some time in Constantinople, were then transported to the island of Rab in Croatia. When the Normans invaded the island and besieged the city of Rab, the townspeople placed the relics of Christopher on the walls. Miraculously, the wind changed and the ships drifted away from the island. One of the large medieval fortresses of Rab is named after the saint.

In the Catholic Church, Christopher is one of the 14 holy helpers and patron saint of travelers. Despite being removed from the general Catholic calendar, Christopher remains popular among Catholics, especially loved by sailors, ferrymen, shippers, and travelers. Today, major centers of his veneration are found in Italy and among Italian-Americans. Medallions bearing his name continue to be produced and are often placed in cars to aid in travel. Often they have an inscription "Si en San Cristóbal confías, de accidente no morirás"(If you believe in Saint Christopher, you will not die in an accident).

In addition, in Catholicism, he takes care of the following things: everything related to travel, people who carry burdens, against lightning strikes, against pestilence, archers, car drivers, bachelors, boatmen, bookbinders, epileptics, floods, fruit merchants, gardeners, fullers , downpours and rains, truck drivers, market vendors, porters, surfers, toothache.

Christopher is the patron saint of the following geographical points: Baden, Borgi (Italy), Braunschweig, Mecklenburg, Fr. Slave, Roermond (Netherlands), Toses (Catalonia), Agrinion (Greece), Vilnius, Havana.

Especially honored in Spain, where his prayers are resorted to in case of contagious diseases. It is considered the patron saint of travelers (including motorists), ferrymen, bridge builders, sailors, bookbinders, gardeners.

Vilnius patron saint and depicted on the coat of arms and flag of the city. In 1957, in the courtyard of the Church of St. Nicholas in Vilnius, a statue of Christopher with a baby in his arms and a text on the pedestal was installed (in Lithuanian) "Saint Christopher, take care of our city!"

In July-August, the St. Christopher International Summer Music Festival is held annually in Vilnius. Since 1997, a week before Christmas, Vilnius has been annually presenting a statuette of St. Christopher - the most honorable award of the city to the most deserving individuals, institutions and enterprises for charitable activities, outstanding achievements in art, sports, science and education, for contribution to the development of tourism, etc. . P.

Why is Saint Christopher depicted with a dog's head?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

The martyr Christopher is greatly revered both in the east and in the west, especially in Spain. In Europe, his prayerful help is resorted to during epidemics. Archbishop Sergius (Spassky) writes that the Greeks have a belief: “he who sees the icon of Christopher will not die suddenly or from any adventure that day; therefore, since ancient times, his icon has been placed at the entrances to churches, so that those who enter can see it ”(The Complete Menology of the East, vol. III, May 9).

The holy martyr was baptized by the Bishop of Antioch, Hieromartyr Babyla, who gave him the name Christopher (Greek: Christos - Christ, phoros - bearing). Prior to that, he had the name Reprev. It suffered during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius (249 - 251) in 250. He was subjected to terrible and sophisticated tortures, but the Lord miraculously saved him. After many tortures, he was killed with a sword. Memorial Day - May 9 / 22.

The appearance of icons on which he is depicted with a dog's head is associated with the legendary ideas about the people from which he came. Some believed that St. Christopher was a Canaanite by birth. Others traced his kinship from canines (lat. canis - dog) or cynocephalus (dog-headed). In the Slavic Prologue, the version about the dog-headed form of Reprev is rejected. This did not prevent some icon painters from depicting the saint with a dog's head. This also penetrated into Russian iconography. In the regional museum "Rostov Kremlin" there is a large image of St. Christopher of the first half of the 17th century. The icon arrived there in 1893 from the Church of the Assumption in the village of Bogorodsky, Yaroslavl province. The martyr is depicted full-length in military attire. In his right hand he holds a cross, and his left hand rests on a sword in a scabbard. The dog's head is raised. To the right and left of the nimbus is an explanatory text: “Before the summer of 248 in the kingdom of Decei before baptism, his name was Reprev, born from hounds heads from the lands of man-eaters, having the head of a dog with dignity, a warrior in many torments in a robe of meden, undressed, condemned, and died with a sword for Christ.” There is an opinion that St. Christopher was unusually handsome. He asked God to deliver him from this burden. As a result, he had a dog's head. This story has no credibility.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov (1651-1709) opposed the image of the saint with a dog's head. Hierarch-Confessor Arseny (Matsievich; 1697 - 1772), being Metropolitan of Rostov, forbade having icons of St. Christopher with a dog's head in churches. He ordered all the icons of St. Christopher rewrite with a human head.

St. Martyr Christopher helps to get rid of demonic captivity. Rev. Theodore Sikeot (+ 613) sent demoniac patients for healing to a women's monastery, in which there was a church in honor of St. martyr Christopher. Once Rev. Theodore led the demon-possessed boy to this monastery. Along the way, St. Christopher cast out the demon from the possessed.

Troparion, tone 4:

Adorn yourself with clothes from the blood, stand before the Lord, the King of forces, Christopher of ever-memorable: from there, with the incorporeal and the martyrs, eat with trisagion and terrible sweet singing: save your flock with the same prayers.

The life of the saint informs us that before baptism, Saint Christopher had the name Reprev (Ρεπρεβος - outcast, condemned).

During the reign of Emperor Decius Trajan, a man named Reprev was captured by the Romans during a battle in Marmarik. Later, he served in the Roman cohort of the Cohors, a unit of the Marmarites, who came from the Marmaric region or representatives of the Berber tribe.

About this glorious martyr, whose memory is highly honored both in the east and even more so in the west, especially in Spain, something strange and unusual is told: he was a man of enormous stature and terrifying behavior. Among other Orthodox saints, the martyr Christopher is distinguished by an unusual feature attributed to him by tradition. It was believed that, being a body like a man, he had the head of a dog - a dog's head and came from a country of cannibals. Some argue that Saint Christopher, by origin, came from the land of the Canaanites, while others derive him from the canineans (canis - dog) or cynocephali (κύνος - dog and κεφαλή - head) - representatives of the tribe of "psoglavtsy" - dog-headed people, the description of which is enough often found from ancient times, or anthropophagous (άνθρωπος - man and φαγείν - is). The dog-like appearance of the saint in the Slavic Prologue is rejected, and St. Nicodemus in the Synaxarist only gives it an ugly appearance.

According to another, rather late, legend, which became widespread in Cyprus, the saint from birth had a beautiful appearance, which women were attracted to. Wanting to avoid the temptations and women that constantly bothered him, he prayed that the Lord would give him an ugly appearance, after which he became like a dog.

When he was taken prisoner by one committee (that was the name of the tsar's bodyguards), he did not have the gift of human speech. He prayed to God, and the Lord sent an angel to him, who said to him: “Be of good cheer, Reprev!” - such was his first name - and then touched his lips and through this gave him the ability to speak. When after this he arrived in a certain city, he began to denounce those who were persecuting the Christians. For this, a certain Bacchus beat him, but in response to this he told Bacchus that he accepts beatings from him with humility only for the sake of the commandment of Christ, and if he succumbed to anger, neither Bacchus himself, nor even the power of the emperor, which he would turn into nothing. Soon two hundred men of soldiers were sent behind him to bring him to the emperor (according to the Greek prologues, this was probably the emperor Decius, who reigned in the Roman Empire from 249 to 251), and as they walked, a completely dry rod was on the way , which was in the hands of the saint, miraculously blossomed, and then when during the journey the soldiers did not have enough bread, he multiplied it in abundance. This great miracle surprised the soldiers, and they believed in Christ and, together with the saint, were baptized by the Bishop of Antioch, the Holy Hieromartyr Babyla, and instead of Reprev, the saint was given the name Christopher (Χριστόφορος). When the saint was brought before the emperor, the latter, at the sight of him, felt horrified and suddenly fell on his back, and then, regaining his senses, decided to force him to renounce Christ, but not by obvious measures of violence, but by cunning, first to change his mood, and then with caress persuade him to do his will. To this end, he ordered two women to be called - harlots, beautiful in face and ready to give themselves up to fornication, who, with seductive conversations, aroused in young people an irresistible, insane desire for fornication. The name of one of these women was Kallinikia, and the other was Akilina. The emperor ordered them to go in to the saint and inspire him with various seductive thoughts, as was their custom, so that, prompted by a criminal love for them, he agreed to renounce his faith in Christ and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, but Saint Christopher began to instruct them in faith in Christ and with his word turned them away from idolatry. Returning to the emperor, they declared themselves Christians, for which they were subjected to cruel torments and, having thus suffered suffering for their faith in Christ, they received martyr's crowns. Strongly angry with these women, the emperor ordered Saint Christopher to be brought to him and began to mock him because of the unusual appearance of his face, but the saint in response to this called him a receptacle for the actions of the devil, for such was the meaning of the name of Emperor Decius. After that, the emperor sentenced to death those two hundred soldiers who were sent to bring Saint Christopher to him and who received holy baptism with him, since they came to the saint and bowed to him before the eyes of the emperor. He ordered all of them to cut off their heads and burn their bodies, but he ordered Saint Christopher to be enclosed in a copper vessel, nailed into it, and then the vessel was heated, but when this was done, the saint remained unharmed. Feeling no pain either from fire or from being nailed, he stood in a red-hot vessel, as if in some pleasant coolness. This seemed to many of those present a deceit, and to the believers the saint quite truthfully and joyfully told that during the torture he saw some very tall and beautiful-looking man dressed in white clothes, who surpassed the sun in the light emanating from him and had on his head his brilliant crown, that he was surrounded by many warriors, with whom some black and stinking araps fought, trying to grab and drag him away, but this terrible leader looked at them with anger and with his eyes confused and struck down all this enemy army, and he gave him the strength to endure the torment without harm. Hearing such a story and seeing the saint completely unharmed, many of the people believed him and turned to Christ, and then they took the saint out of the red-hot vessel, for which they were hacked to death by the royal executioners. After this, they tied a stone around Saint Christopher's neck and threw it into the well, but an angel took him out of there, then put red-hot copper clothes on him, and finally cut off his head with a sword. The holy martyr died in Lycia under the emperor Decius c. 250 g.

The memory of Saint Christopher and other holy martyrs who suffered with him is celebrated in Kyparissia - a locality in Constantinople - on the day of his death, close to the day of the death of the holy Great Martyr George. According to the acts of the martyr, the day of his death is attributed to April 23 by all the most ancient calendars, Eastern and Western.

The relics and the head of the saint, kept for some time in Constantinople, were then transported to the island of Rab in Croatia. When the Normans invaded the island and besieged the city of Rab, the townspeople placed the relics of Christopher on the walls. Miraculously, the wind changed and the ships drifted away from the island. One of the largest medieval fortresses in Rab is named after St. Christopher.

Iconography of St. Christopher in Orthodoxy

In Orthodoxy, Christopher is often depicted as a dog-head. At the same time, synaxari indicate that this appearance, like the origin of the saint from the country of the Cynocephali, should be understood as a symbolic indication of his rudeness and ferocity during his stay as a pagan. However, as the life of Christopher says, “when the saint was brought to the emperor, the latter felt horror at the sight of him and suddenly fell on his back, and then, coming to his senses again, decided to force him to renounce Christ ...”. Thus, the very appearance of the saint was unusual and by this time he was no longer a pagan. Therefore, here we are not talking about the symbolic image of the saint, but about the real one.

The oldest similar image of the saint is found on a ceramic icon of the 6th-7th centuries of Macedonian origin. On it, Christopher, together with St. George, strikes a serpent.

The oldest image of the saint is located in the monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai and dates back to the time of Emperor Justinian (527-565).

In Russian icon painting, images of St. Christopher with a dog's head have been known since the second half of the 16th century. Icons of Christopher "with a dog's head", along with some other "controversial" iconographic subjects, were officially banned by the order of the Holy Synod of 1722 as "contrary to nature, history and truth itself." However, the Senate did not support the decision of the Synod, recommending that no unequivocal measures be taken regarding those images that have enjoyed wide popular veneration for many years.

It is known that St. Demetrius of Rostov spoke out against the bestial images of St. Christopher. In the middle of the 18th century, in the Rostov diocese, the clergy, including Metropolitan Anthony (Matseevich), also advocated the correction of icons of the saint and the creation of new ones “in due course with a human head ... so that instead of Christopher, the head of the dog should not be read, but written against the great martyr Demetrius” . At the request of the Metropolitan to ban the icons of Cynocephalus, a special case was opened in the Synod, but it did not receive further development.

After the ban, Christopher is depicted anthropomorphically, in the form of a warrior. Rewritten images with a recorded dog's head are known. In some cases, the icons of St. Christopher were indeed corrected. So, in the painting of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Yaroslavl, the dog head of the saint depicted on the pillar was replaced by a human one. Traces of the existence of the former image of the saint are still visible: the outline of the dog's face is visible on the halo.

The Old Believers continued (and still continue) to venerate Christopher the Cynocephalus, and the prohibition of the "dominant church" only confirmed and strengthened this veneration. The Sviyazhsk icon-painting tradition depicts Christopher not with a dog's head, but with a horse's head. It should be noted that in later Russian monuments the saint is depicted not with a dog's head, but with a head more like a horse's.

Thus, most of the old images of the dog-headed Christopher were destroyed or written down. In addition to the fresco in the Assumption Monastery in the city of Sviyazhsk, there is a fresco in the Makaryevsky Monastery, as well as in Yaroslavl in the Spassky Monastery. Icons of Christopher have been preserved in Cherepovets (an art museum), in Rostov, and also in Perm. The icon of St. Christopher with a dog's head can be seen in the Moscow Old Believer Church of the Intercession, the Moscow Kremlin (Archangel Cathedral), in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Since the 18th century, Christopher has been depicted only in the form of a man. However, in museum collections there are icons of the saint with the head of a dog not only of the 18th, but also of the 19th centuries.

In Orthodoxy, there is also a version of the iconography of Christopher, similar to the Western one: Saint Christopher is depicted at the moment of crossing the river, in the form of a giant, with the Christ Child on his shoulders.

The life and iconography of St. Christopher in Catholicism

The life of St. Christopher in the Western tradition says that he was a Roman of enormous stature, originally bearing the name Reprev. The Golden Legend, a 13th-century collection of lives compiled by the Dominican monk Jacob Voraginsky, says that Christopher (then still bearing a different name) worked at a river crossing. The giant Reprev seeks out the holy hermit and asks him how he can serve Christ. The hermit took him to a dangerous ford across the river and told him that his great size and strength made him an excellent candidate to help people cross the dangerous water. He began to carry travelers on his back.

One day he was asked to be carried across the river by a little boy. In the middle of the river, he felt an unbearable weight, as if holding the whole world. It turned out that the giant carries not only the world, but also the One who created it: Christ Himself appeared to Christopher in the form of a child. Christopher was afraid that both of them would drown. The boy told him that he was Christ and was carrying all the burdens of the world with him. Then Jesus baptized Reprev in the river, and he received his new name - Christopher, "carrying Christ."

Then the Child told Christopher that he could stick a branch into the ground. This branch miraculously grew into a fruitful tree. This miracle converted many to faith. Enraged by this, the local ruler (or even the Roman emperor Decius - in the Western tradition he speaks under the name Dagnus), imprisoned Christopher, where, after long torment, he found a martyr's death.

In Catholicism, Saint Christopher is depicted as a giant carrying a blessing Child across the river (see the literal translation of his name - “bearing Christ”) - an episode that directly follows from his life in the Western tradition.

Paintings by Dirk Boats, Hieronymus Bosch, Memling, Conrad Witz, Ghirlandaio were painted on this subject, Dürer and Cranach engraved.

Coins with the face of St. Christopher were minted in Würzburg, Württemberg and in the Czech Republic. Statues of Christopher were often placed at the entrances to churches and residential buildings, and often on bridges. Often they were accompanied by inscriptions: “Whoever looks at the image of St. Christopher today will not face sudden fainting and falling today.” In the Cologne Cathedral there is a statue of St. Christopher, which, according to popular belief, protects those who look at it from sudden death.

In 1969, in the light of the reformist decisions of the Second Vatican Council, the day of memory of St. Christopher, along with the days of memory of some other common Christian saints, was removed by the Vatican from the universal Catholic calendar. However, the holiday remained in the local calendars of Catholic countries.

Since in the Orthodox life of St. Christopher we do not find any mention of Christopher being a ferryman across the river and the appearance of the Infant Christ to him at the same time, we can assume that in the eastern and western versions of the life of St. Christopher we are talking about two completely different saints.

Catholic images of St. Christopher belong to a very narrow period of time: it is about one century, from 1430 to 1530. The most famous images were made by the leading artists of the Pagan Renaissance in Germany, Flemish and Italy.

Around the same time, the most famous Christopher in the world was born - the great navigator Christopher Columbus (in the Spanish version, Cristobal Colon), who lived from 1451 to 1506. Like St. Christopher carries the Christ child across the river, so Columbus brings the Catholic mission to the New World across the Atlantic Ocean, which was only a cover for the colonization, robbery and physical destruction of the indigenous population of America. On the contrary, Eastern Orthodox images of St. Christopher are found over a very long period of time and are presented in different icon-painting styles: if the earliest images of the saint date back to the 6th-7th centuries, then the later ones are painted even today with a dog's head. Many of these icons date back to the 19th century.

Therefore, placed below the modern Orthodox icons of St. Christfor, carrying the Christ Child on his shoulders, do not correspond to the ancient Eastern tradition of depicting this saint.

Perhaps some secrets and misunderstandings are connected with the image of St. Christopher, as he is depicted in the Eastern tradition. In Russia, the name Christopher is extremely rare, and the writing of a fairly large number of his icons is clearly not connected with the name (Catholic iconography focuses on the name "Christ-bearer"). A Christ-bearer is carrying Christ inside your heart, not on your shoulders, outside. It is the very image of St. Christopher that touches the heart of a person. After all, he was not only a Christian martyr, he also suffered while still a pagan. Even the king fell at his unusual appearance. Christopher was an outcast among normal-looking people. Perhaps that is why this saint is especially close to those people who are deprived of something, who did not fit into this life, who have some kind of physical handicap or deformity. The Lord Himself says: “Judge not by outward appearance, but judge by righteous judgment” (John 7:24). In any case, it is worth getting acquainted with the life and deeds of the holy martyr Christopher.

On May 22 (May 9 O.S.) the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of remembrance of the holy martyr warrior Christopher, who suffered for the Christian faith under Emperor Decius around the year 250. The life of the saint tells us that Christopher was a native of the land of the Canaanites and before baptism had the name Reprev (Greek - outcast, condemned). The strength of his faith was so great that, seeing it, the soldiers and harlots hired by the emperor became Christians.

Among other Orthodox saints, the martyr Christopher is distinguished by an unusual feature attributed to him by tradition. It was believed that, being the body of a man, he had the head of a dog. According to one legend, Christopher had a dog's head from birth, as he came from the country of cynocephals - people with dog heads. The Canaanites were sometimes identified with the Cynocephali, since the consonant word "canine" comes from the Latin canis - dog. When the future saint was baptized, he took on a human form. According to another, rather late, legend, which became widespread in Cyprus, the saint from birth had a beautiful appearance, which women were attracted to. Wanting to avoid temptations, he prayed that the Lord would give him an ugly appearance, after which he became like a dog.

The Synaxarion of Constantinople indicates that the dog-headed appearance of the saint and his origin from the country of cynocephali and anthropophagi (cannibals) should be understood symbolically, as a state of rudeness and ferocity during his stay as a pagan. In the Synaxarion of St. Nikodim the Holy Mountaineer, nothing is said about the bestial appearance of Christopher, it is only reported that he had an ugly face.

Dirk Bouts. Saint Christopher. Left wing of the triptych. 1467–1468 Alte Pinakothek, Munich

In Western Christian iconography, the saint, whose name literally translates as "Christ-bearer", is depicted as a giant carrying the Christ Child on his shoulders. The Golden Legend, a 13th-century collection of lives compiled by the Dominican monk Jacob Voraginsky, says that Christopher (then still bearing a different name) worked at a river crossing. When he once carried a child across the river, he felt an unbearable heaviness, as if holding the whole world. It turned out that the giant carries not only the world, but also the One who created it: Christ Himself appeared to Christopher in the form of a child.

The tradition of depicting Christopher as a tall man with a Child in Western medieval sculpture, book miniatures, as well as painting of a later time is stable. This is how the saint was portrayed by Hieronymus Bosch, K. Witz, Albrecht Dürer and other artists.

In the art of Byzantium, there were several variants of the image of the martyr, which were formed already in the early era. The most common image is of a young man dressed in patrician clothes (as in the frescoes of Dechan and the church of St. Clement in Ohrid) or in military armor. The latter version is represented by the paintings of the Old Church (Tokali Kilisse; Cappadocia, 913–920), the first layer of the church of Agios Stefanos (tenth century), the church of the holy doctors in Kastoria (end of the 12th century), and in the mosaics of the monastery of Hosios Loukas (second quarter 11th century). In Russia, the image of St. Christopher as a young warrior was preserved in the arch of the deacon of the church of St. George in Staraya Ladoga (last quarter of the 12th century).

The most unusual and interesting is the iconography of St. Christopher, depicted in zoomorphic form, with the head of a dog. The oldest known image of Pesieglavets is presented on a ceramic icon of the 6th–7th centuries from Macedonia. Saint Christopher together with Saint George slay the snakes. Both martyrs are depicted with spears, between them is a round shield and a cross. Another image of a saint with a dog's head, but no longer in military clothes, is in the Byzantine Museum in Athens.

Despite the fact that in the Icon-painting original of the 16th century of the Novgorod edition about St. Christopher it is said that he is depicted “like Dmitry, the riza of the bakan, the underside is green”, that is, in the image of a young warrior, in Russian art of the second half of the 16th century and in the 17th century the icon of St. Christopher with the head of a dog became widespread. Earlier examples have not come down to us, although they, apparently, existed: the first mention of the days of memory of the saint are found in the calendars of the 11th-12th centuries. Perhaps the saint was revered as a protector from contagious diseases and epidemics. So, in Veliky Novgorod in 1533 a church was built in the name of St. Christopher during the pestilence. In Moscow, one of the epidemics, which ended in 1572, was also accompanied by the construction of a church in the Kremlin in the name of this saint. Unfortunately, no specific information has been preserved either about the temple itself or about its interior decoration.

The types of Russian icons depicting Saint Pesyeglavets are different. The State Historical Museum keeps the Menaion of 1597 for the month of May, where Saint Christopher with an open mouth and protruding tongue is presented in the lower row of saints, next to Saint Nicholas. In the State Tretyakov Gallery there is the northern door of the iconostasis of the second half of the 16th century from the Trinity Church in the village of Krivoye (Arkhangelsk region), in the Cherepovets Art Museum - the door to the altar of the second half of the 17th century. These monumental full-length images differ in character from the more intimate, small prayer icons of the saint, which were apparently painted for a private customer. One of these icons is from the middle of the 17th century from the former collection of P.I. Shchukin (now in the State Historical Museum) - has burns in the lower part from a candle placed in front of it. The saint in military robes and a fluttering scarlet cloak stands in prayer to the Savior Emmanuel, depicted in the upper left corner in the segment of the sky. Among other icons of the martyr, this image stands out not only for its iconography, but also for its special mood. Christopher is presented not as a frightening and ugly dog-headed man, but first of all as an intercessor before the Lord, fervently praying for the human race.

The second half of the 17th century dates back to one of the icons of a small deesis tier created for a home iconostasis (now in the State Historical Museum). This depiction of Saint Christopher differs from all of the above: the martyr is shown as a beautiful young man holding a dog's head on a platter in his right hand. The saint holds a cross in his left hand.

The image of the saint on an icon from the first half of the 17th century from the Rostov Museum is notable for the fact that it is accompanied by a text explaining the iconography. In the inscription on the background, on the sides of the halo, it is reported that the holy martyr was "born from the heads of dogs." Christopher holds a cross in his right hand, and a lowered sword in his left.

Images of St. Christopher Cynocephalus are also found in monumental painting - in the murals of the Church of the Assumption in Sviyazhsk (XVI century), the Transfiguration Cathedral (1563-1564) and the Church of St. Nicholas Wet in Yaroslavl (1673). In addition, the martyr is often represented in the works of facial sewing associated with orders from the eminent Stroganov family.

The history of the veneration of the saint in the 18th century is full of contradictions. On the one hand, throughout the century, the question of the inadmissibility of his images with the head of a dog was repeatedly raised, on the other hand, such icons continued to appear and exist.

In 1707, in response to the order of Peter I on the observance of those icon-painting rules that were adopted at the Great Moscow Cathedral of 1667, the Synod developed a decree on the prohibition of icons "opposite to nature, history and truth." These included the images of the holy dog-headed man. However, the Senate did not support the decision of the Synod, recommending that no unequivocal measures be taken regarding those images that have enjoyed wide popular veneration for many years.

It is known that St. Demetrius of Rostov spoke out against the bestial images of St. Christopher. In the middle of the 18th century, in the Rostov diocese, the clergy, including Metropolitan Anthony (Matseevich), also advocated the correction of icons of the saint and the creation of new ones “in due course with a human head ... so that instead of Christopher, the head of the dog should not be read, but written against the great martyr Demetrius” . At the request of the Metropolitan to ban the icons of Cynocephalus, a special case was opened in the Synod, but it did not receive further development.

Apparently, decisions regarding the images of the saint were carried out at the discretion of the local church authorities. Thus, the Moscow Consistory punished the priest of the Varvara church, who allowed the image of Christopher with a dog's head in the temple. At the same time, it is known that such images were sold in icon-painting rows and shops in Moscow.

In some cases, the icons of St. Christopher were indeed corrected. In the painting of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Yaroslavl, the dog head of the saint depicted on the pillar was replaced by a human one. Traces of the existence of the former image of the saint are still visible: on the right, on the halo, you can see the outline of a dog's face.

In museum collections there are icons of the saint with the head of a dog not only of the 18th, but also of the 19th centuries. Among the remarkable images of the 18th century is the icon of the Holy Martyrs Sophia, Faith, Hope, Love and St. Christopher, coming to the Savior Emmanuel (State Historical Museum). Obviously, it depicts the heavenly patrons of the family members of the customer of the prayer image.

It should be noted that in later Russian monuments the saint is depicted not with a dog's head, but with a head more like a horse's. The shape of the skull changes somewhat, becoming more rounded, the dog's mouth, which once seemed pointed, open or bared, changes to a more good-natured horse's muzzle. An example is an icon of the late 18th century from the State Museum of the History of Religion, where a saint with a horse's head, depicted against a landscape in multicolored armor, with a cross and a spear in his hands, is blessed by Christ. In the collection of the Historical Museum there is an icon drawing of the 19th century - a model for icon painters, on which St. Christopher is also shown with a head similar to a horse. The existing explanation of the change in iconography that has taken place is the inability of icon painters to depict the head of a dog seems unconvincing.