SAINT THERAPONT OF CYPRUS

On June 7, the Church celebrates the memory of the holy martyr Therapont of Cyprus. Saint Ferapont suffered during the Great Persecution of Diocletian. Unfortunately, his life has not been preserved.

It is known that Therapont was a bishop in Cyprus, where after his martyrdom for Christ his relics were kept. In 806, they were transferred to Constantinople, where they became famous for their healings and miracles. The reason for the translation of the relics was the constant threat of Arab conquerors.

Arab Muslim armies came to the Island of Saints already in 688. For almost three centuries, a unique case in history, Cyprus was under a kind of joint control of two Empires, Byzantine and Arab, but this did not reduce the danger to the shrines, primarily from uncontrolled robbers and bandits. In 965, Byzantium recaptured Cyprus, by which time the relics of Saint Terapont were already in Constantinople.

A chronicle of miracles and healings through the prayers of the saint was kept, and information about solemn services in the capital’s churches on the days of his memory, of which, apparently, there were several, both churches and dates, were preserved.

Saint Terapont is one of those saints whose relics were transferred from the lands of ancient Christianity, from the East to the West, due to the threat of barbarian and later Muslim attacks. After all, Constantinople was also located on the European shore of the Bosphorus, was a great European Christian metropolis, a kind of Russian Vladivostok in the Far East. The participants of this amazing assembly of great saints, heavenly wanderers, whose relics were thus saved: Evangelist Mark, Church Father Augustine, Nicholas the Wonderworker and Spyridon of Trimythous. “From the east of the sun to the west your relics shone,” as it is sung in the troparion of the feast of Saint Nicholas.

Perhaps, in this small host of great saints, Therapont of Cyprus is the least known. However, in our days he is still given special veneration in Cyprus, where there are churches dedicated to him. In the city of Larnaca, where the Tomb of the Friend of God, Righteous Lazarus from the St John’s Hospel, is located, there are ruins of a very ancient basilica named after him.

Sometimes Saint Therapont of Cyprus is most likely mistakenly identified with another ancient saint of the same name, the martyr Therapont of Sardis. He is commemorated on June 9, that is, on the third day after Therapont of Cyprus. There have long been close ties between the Asia Minor city of Sardis, mentioned in the Apocalypse, and Cyprus; Saint Therapont of Sardis was also venerated in Constantinople.

Sometimes “our” Therapont is also identified with another, much later saint, Therapont the Confessor. The latter came from Germany, opposed the iconoclasts, and suffered greatly from them. He subsequently fled to Palestine, from where he arrived in Cyprus, where he was later elected bishop. His relics, in danger from the Arab conquerors, were also transferred to Constantinople.

It is possible that this “third” Therapont was one of the so-called Alaman saints. This was the name given to Christian ascetics, a symbolic total of 300, who at different times moved to Cyprus, where they found the intact Orthodox faith and acquired the grace of holiness. Some of them fled from Palestine from the Muslims, others from the Avars. Others, finally, came from the Western countries as part of the Crusades, but preferred to leave their troops when they became convinced that violence, even towards infidels, was not salutary and contradicted the Gospel.

Saint Therapon of Cyprus, martyr and wandering bishop; Saint Therapon of Sardis, bishop and martyr; Saint Therapon, confessor and bishop. Such an amazing and small communion of saints of the same name. Very little is known about each of them, but it is truly precious. The three Theraponts are like the three musketeers of the Heavenly King of Glory.