Charalambos

Holy Martyr Charalambos of Magnesia, patron against illness.

St. Charalambos was a priest of Magnesia in Asia Minor who suffered martyrdom in extreme old age, according to tradition at the age of 113, during the persecutions of the early third century. Refusing to sacrifice to idols, he endured torture with such serenity that many who witnessed his suffering came to believe in Christ.

He is among the most beloved saints of Greece, where countless churches bear his name. The faithful have long invoked him as a protector against sickness and plague, and as a guardian of flocks and fields. His feast is celebrated on February 10.

Feast day

On the New Calendar, Charalambos is commemorated on February 10. Churches on the Old (Julian) Calendar keep the feast on February 23 of the civil calendar.

Who celebrates a name day

People with these names keep their name day on this feast:

Charalampos, Babis, Haralambos, Harambos, Charalambos, Haralampos, Haris, Charis, Lambis, Harry, Charalambia, Haralambia, Haroula, Charoula

Also commemorated on February 10

• Zeno the Faster

  Venerable, Ζήνων ο Ταχυδρόμος

  Venerable Zeno the Courier, hermit near Antioch, former servant of the Emperor Valens.

  Name days: Zenon, Zeno

• Porphyrios and Baptos

  Martyr, Πορφύριος και Βάπτος

  Holy Martyrs Porphyrios and Baptos, the executioners who believed through St. Charalambos.

• Ennatha, Valentina and Paula

  Holy Woman, Ενναθά, Ουαλεντίνα και Παύλα

  Virgin Martyrs Ennatha, Valentina and Paula of Palestine.

• Anastasios of Jerusalem

  Hierarch, Αναστάσιος Ιεροσολύμων

  St. Anastasios, Patriarch of Jerusalem.

• Anna of Novgorod

  Holy Woman, Άννα η Πριγκίπισσα

  Venerable Anna of Novgorod, princess, wife of Yaroslav the Wise.

• Prochoros of the Kiev Caves

  Venerable, Πρόχορος ο Θαυματουργός

  Venerable Prochoros the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, called the Orach-eater.

Icon: public domain image from Wikimedia Commons.