Demetrian

Demetrian (d. 912?) is a saint from Cyprus. In the 9th and 10th centuries, he served the Christian Church as a monk and an abbot, and ultimately as the bishop of the ancient city of Chytri. He is venerated for his apparently miraculous rescue of Christian Cypriots who had been enslaved by Saracen invaders.

Life Contemporary documentation of Demetrian's life is limited to a single manuscript. Complicating his record, he has at times been called by the common names Demetrio or Demetrius. The lone manuscript holds that Demetrian was the son of a priest, As a young man, he wed a woman who died only a few months after marriage.

Near the end of his life, Demetrian saw Cyprus overrun by Saracen invaders. Many Christians were taken captive and marched toward Baghdad to become slaves. Despite his advanced age, Demetrian followed them on the road and pleaded desperately for their release. Seemingly miraculously, the Saracens were persuaded and they released the captives to him.

Legacy A longstanding devotional following of Saint Demetrian continues through the present day in Cyprus. His annual feast day is celebrated on 6 November.

Venerated as a patron saint of prisoners, Demetrian is also invoked in a more general fashion by a preamble to Catholic prayer: "Loving Father, through the intercession of Saint Demetrian, rescue me from the anxieties that hold me captive".