Read here on LogosPharos
Saint Spyridon of Tremithus
Bishop and wonderworker
Listen to this saint
Spoken readings saved and verified in advance. Playback downloads an existing recording; it does not generate new speech. These are published selections, not complete books. AI pronunciation may be imperfect; the written text remains the reference.
Audio requires JavaScript. The biography and selected reading remain available below.
·
Life and witness
Spyridon is associated with the Church of Cyprus and the fourth-century defense of the faith. Stories of miracles belong to the hagiographical tradition surrounding him. His commemoration should not be confused with other saints who share the same name.
Historical setting
The traditional life remembers Spyridon first as a shepherd with a family, and later as bishop of Tremithus in Cyprus. It emphasizes hospitality and assistance to people in need rather than social prominence. His episcopal witness is associated with the defense of the Nicene faith; the colorful episodes told about him are transmitted through church historical and hagiographical accounts.
Legacy and remembrance
The famous story of the brick is a traditional illustration of his confession of the Trinity, not a scientific demonstration or a complete explanation of the divine mystery. Orthodox Christians honor him as a wonderworker while directing worship to God. His fixed commemoration is December 12; other local celebrations should be checked against the parish calendar.
More about the life
The church biography includes a hospitality story attributed to the historian Sozomen. During Lent, Spyridon welcomes an exhausted traveler and asks his daughter to prepare what food they have, placing the guest’s need before a rigid display of fasting. Other episodes portray his concern for a friend accused unjustly and for people facing hunger or illness. These are received accounts of pastoral mercy, not permission to ignore one’s parish guidance. They explain why his remembrance joins episcopal responsibility with the ordinary duties of a household.
Quotes
A sourced selection, not a popularity ranking. Quote wording stays in the cited language; context notes are editorial.
No quotations have been approved for this collection yet. This does not mean that no authentic words survive. See the readings and sources below.
Readings
Selected reading
From the life of St Spyridon: his speech to the Arian philosopher
Listen, philosopher, to what I tell you. There is one God Who created man from dust. He has ordered all things, both visible and invisible, by His Word and His Spirit. The Word is the Son of God, Who came down upon the earth on account of our sins. He was born of a Virgin, He lived among men, and suffered and died for our salvation, and then He arose from the dead, and He has resurrected the human race with Him. We believe that He is one in essence (consubstantial) with the Father, and equal to Him in authority and honor. We believe this without any sly rationalizations, for it is impossible to grasp this mystery by human reason.
English: cited historical translation. Modern Greek, Russian and Macedonian: LogosPharos translations through English, not direct translations from ancient Greek.
Editorial context
Reported as Spyridon's answer to a Greek philosopher defending the Arian heresy at a council. In a few sentences the bishop covers creation, the Incarnation, the Cross, the Resurrection and the confession of consubstantiality with the Father. The narrative continues: the philosopher became his zealous defender and later received holy Baptism.
View source text
Source text and edition
Listen, philosopher, to what I tell you. There is one God Who created man from dust. He has ordered all things, both visible and invisible, by His Word and His Spirit. The Word is the Son of God, Who came down upon the earth on account of our sins. He was born of a Virgin, He lived among men, and suffered and died for our salvation, and then He arose from the dead, and He has resurrected the human race with Him. We believe that He is one in essence (consubstantial) with the Father, and equal to Him in authority and honor. We believe this without any sly rationalizations, for it is impossible to grasp this mystery by human reason.
English text as published by the Orthodox Church account cited in the source link below. Greek, Russian and Macedonian below are relay translations through English, not direct translations from the source language.
https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2012/12/12/103526-saint-spyridon-the-wonderworker-bishop-of-tremithus
Words recorded in the sources
Each quotation is reproduced from the cited source without changing its wording; its translation basis is stated in its source panel.
“There was only one brick,” Saint Spyridon said, “but it was composed of three elements. In the Holy Trinity there are three Persons, but only one God.”
From the life of St Spyridon: the brick and the Holy Trinity
English: cited historical translation. Modern Greek, Russian and Macedonian: LogosPharos translations through English, not direct translations from ancient Greek.
View source text
Source text and edition
“There was only one brick,” Saint Spyridon said, “but it was composed of three elements. In the Holy Trinity there are three Persons, but only one God.”
English text as published by the Orthodox Church account cited in the source link below. Greek, Russian and Macedonian below are relay translations through English, not direct translations from the source language.
https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2012/12/12/103526-saint-spyridon-the-wonderworker-bishop-of-tremithus
Halt! For the Lord of all the world commands that you permit me to cross so that a man may be saved.
From the life of St Spyridon: his command to the flooded stream
English: cited historical translation. Modern Greek, Russian and Macedonian: LogosPharos translations through English, not direct translations from ancient Greek.
View source text
Source text and edition
Halt! For the Lord of all the world commands that you permit me to cross so that a man may be saved.
English text as published by the Orthodox Church account cited in the source link below. Greek, Russian and Macedonian below are relay translations through English, not direct translations from the source language.
https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2012/12/12/103526-saint-spyridon-the-wonderworker-bishop-of-tremithus
Translations and context are AI-assisted and editorially reviewed, not independently certified by a scholar. Compare the displayed source text; short selections are not complete works.
Writings and works
Checked against Eastern Orthodox sources. Written works, recorded teaching, and works about the saint are distinguished.
No securely attributed writing is listed in the sources reviewed for this profile. This is not proof that the saint never wrote; the Church account below is a work about the saint, not by the saint.
Church life and commemoration
Work about the saint
Attribution source: Eastern Orthodox Church account
External sources may be in another language. Modern editions and translations can be copyrighted; full books are not copied here.
Miracles and testimony
These summaries distinguish Scripture, hagiographical accounts and later testimony. A source establishes that an event was reported, not independent proof of its supernatural cause. Miracles are attributed to God, not autonomous powers of saints. Reports of healing are not medical advice or a promise of recovery.
Hagiographical account
Prologue of Ohrid, December 12
The Archdiocese of Canada’s account, credited to the Prologue of Ohrid, relates that rain came during a drought through Spyridon’s prayer. It attributes the miracle to God’s power.
Read the sourceResearch and reading notes
These are original editorial biographies, not copied source translations. Scripture, historical writing, and hagiographical tradition are distinguished in the text. This page is a study introduction, not an exhaustive critical edition or a personal spiritual rule.
The saints listed here are commemorated by Eastern Orthodox churches. These summaries and translations are independent editorial work, not official Church publications or Church-approved translations.
Church sources
https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2026/12/12/103526-saint-spyridon-the-wonderworker-bishop-of-tremithus