Saint Gordius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caesarea in Cappadocia
(modern-day Kayseri, Turkey)
Roman Catholic Church
Gordius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Martyr | |
| Died | 320 Caesarea in Cappadocia (modern-day Kayseri, Turkey) |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | Pre-congregation |
| Feast | 3 January |
| Attributes | Martyr's cross |
Saint Gordius (also known as Gordinus; died 320)[1] was a Christian soldier in Cappadocia who was dismissed from the Roman army, lived as a hermit for a while, then returned and made an open declaration of his faith, for which he was martyred in the city of Caesarea Maritima. He is commemorated on 3 January in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church.[1]
The Roman Martyrology as of 1916 for the Third Day of January says,
At Caesarea, in Cappadocia, St. Gordius, centurion, in whose praise is extant a celebrated discourse, delivered by St. Basil the Great on the day of his festival.[2]
Monks of Ramsgate account
The Monks of Ramsgate wrote in their Book of Saints (1921),
Gordius (St.) M. (Jan. 3)
(4th cent.) A Christian soldier of Caesarea in Cappadocia, who in the time of the Emperor Licinius, with other Christians, was dismissed from the army and thereupon retired into a solitude. Later, returning to the city, he, moved by his zeal in the cause of Christ, addressed the crowd, seeking to make converts. He was seized and, after trial, beheaded in some year between A.D. 314 and A.D. 320. An eloquent Panegyric preached by St Basil, in which he reminds his hearers that some among them had seen Saint Gordius die, has perpetuated his memory.[3]
