Christopher, St

Christopher, St.

(Christophorus, Christ-bearer), a saint and martyr of the Roman and Greek calendars. The legends make him twelve feet high, and enormous statues of him are still to be found in cathedrals. The place and time of his birth, and, in fact, his very existence, are doubtful. He is said to have suffered martyrdom under Decius. His day in the Greek calendar is May 9; in the Roman, July 25. Of the curious legend of St. Christopher, and the representations of it in mediaeval art, see Mrs. Jameson, Sacred and Legendary Art, 2:439-450. See also Acta Sanctorum, July 25; Butler, Lives of Saints, July 25; Hoefer, Biog. Generale, s.v.