St. Dimitrios (4th cent.)
St.
Dimitrios, or Demetrios, is the patron saint of Thessaloniki. In icons he
is depicted s a young man, usually wearing armor, with Thessaloniki or the
city's famous White Tower in the background. His name day is celebrated on
October 26.
Dimitrios was the son of a senator in Thessaloniki, which at the time was part of the Roman Empire. His family still believed in the old gods but Dimitrios attended the secret meetings of the Christians and converted at a young age, much to the dismay of his parents. He was soon executed for his faith, which makes him one of the many martyrs of Christianity.
In
earlier icons, St. Dimitrios is often depicted as a young man in a simple
robe but later on he was painted as a soldier. It is very possible that he
was a soldier but it can also be an allegory of his resistance towards the
pagans. Centuries after his death, Thessaloniki suffered many attacks from
"barbarian" tribes and it was during these battles that the citizens
of the city claimed the saint had intervened and saved them on several occasions.
Although
St. Dimitrios and St. George did not know
each other, they are often considered to be friends. They are also depicted
quite similarly: both sit on horses with raised spears but St. Dimitrios is
seen killing a gladiator who was famous for killing Christians and St. George
a dragon. St. Dimitrios horse is usually brown and St. George's white.
The
church of St. Dimitrios is the main church of Thessaloniki and the name Dimitris
or Dimitra is very common here.