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Where's Dr. Roman when I need him.

Dear Friends,

My Italian Latin Catholic friend and his wife recently had a baby boy. They named him Alessandro (Italian for Alexander)
I was mentioning to him that I am planning on getting an Icon of St. Andrew for my son's bedroom and he was very interested.

I would love to buy an Icon of St. Alexander for him but I'm not sure which St. Alexander would be appropriate.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Brad

Brad,

Well, here is a Saint Allesandro who combines Italy and the East in his life and death.

Saint John Chrysostom sent the Cappadocian-born Saints Allesandro, Martirio, and Sisinio, to Saint Ambrose in Milan, who sent them on to assist Saint Virgilio, Bishop of Trent in christianizing the northern Italian pagans. Saint Allesandro is popularly depicted as a Reader, Martirio as a deacon, and Sisinio as a priest.

They were martyred there on 29 May 397, having been tortured before being consigned to flames and are generally held to be the first martyrs of northern Italy. There is a Minor Basilica under their patronage and I believe they are entombed in the Church of Saint Simplicio in Milan; depictions of the three and devotion to them is widespead in churches of the area, as indicated in the article linked below. Their intercession is credited for the victory against the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa at the battle of Legnano on their feastday in 1176.

Some brief biographical info is at Church of San Sisinio [fondazionedellatorre.com] . A bit more can be read at Patriarch\'s Visit to Honor Saints Sisinio, Martirio, and Allesandro Cancelled by Illness [cwnews.com]

A rather impressive altarpiece that included ancient iconic depictions of them was, unfortunately, broken up and sold. A series of the panels are at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, CA and can be seen at this page [nortonsimon.org] and the 4 pages following it.

Icons are hard to find - there are a couple on this page [66.218.71.231] . (Note that the page is a translation and the translating software has rendered Saint Martirio's name into English as Martyrdom.)

The website of Fabio Nones, the iconographer who wrote the first of the icons on the above page is here [iconesantimartiri.it] . Fabio is in Trent, so he may well have a particular interest in the three ascetic martyrs, although I don't see any icons depicting them on his site.

Hope this helps and may Allesandro be blessed by God with many years of health and happiness.

Many years,

Neil

Patriarch of Constantinople
Commemorated August 30

Many great figures of Christianity came to be identified with the classic confrontation with heresy which brought about the historic Ecumenical Synod of Nicaea in 325 AD. However, only one man was selected to be the personal representative of the Christian emperor, Constantine the Great, at whose bidding the momentous meeting was convened. The man chosen by the

Byzantine leader was Fr Alexander of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, a highly respected spokesman for the Church of Christ whose voice against heresy still echoes in the chambers of Christendom. The concept of the Holy Trinity, the cornerstone of the Christian faith, holds that Jesus Christ is part of the eternal existence of God in the infinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for which there is no beginning and no end and in which Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega of life. When the doctrine of Arianism, so called for its sponsor Arius, an aging Alexandrian priest, was introduced, it found acceptance with an alarming number of good Christians who failed to see the menace posed by what can only be called this heretical approach. It was ready to fall prey to the Arian teaching that Christ was a creation of God and that, therefore, there was a time when He did not exist. It was the task of Fr Alexander and other members of the Council to make clear to the finite minds of all Christians that Arianism undermined the pure and basic concept on which the Christian faith is founded. Furthermore, an acceptance of any modification of the Trinity would so tarnish the golden truth of Jesus Christ as to lead to the eventual elimination of Christianity as the most invisible force in the history of man.

Fr Alexander's early life remains obscure except that it is noted that he was cast in the classic mould of scholar and thinker and that he never strayed from the honourable path that led him straight to the Patriarchate itself. In this hallowed hall of Orthodoxy, he distinguished himself with such patient dedication and genuine reverence that he came to be known as the alter ego of the Patriarch Metrophanes, by whom he was singled out to be brought to the attention of the emperor as a qualified spokesman for Christianity through the high office of the patriarch and, thereby, the spokesman for Jesus Christ.

At the Synod of Nicaea, Fr Alexander earned the respect of that great body of prelates assembled to determine the fate of the Christian Church. He was privileged in this historic conclave to have the company of such great men as St. Athanasios, who was, according to the historian Edward Gibbon, better qualified to rule the Byzantine Empire than any of the sons of Constantine. It can be added that Fr Alexander proved himself at Nicaea to be eminently qualified to lead not only in the battle against Arianism but in the fight against all the forces of evil that menaced Christianity. It was the eloquence of Fr Alexander, among others, that stemmed the rising tide of Arianism at Nicaea and let to its ultimate elimination.

Patriarch Metrophanes had a dream in which it was made clear to him that he would soon die and enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and forthwith named Fr Alexander to be his successor. When the Metrophanes' dream became a reality as foreordained, Fr Alexander became Patriarch Alexander, and as the spiritual leader of the millions of Orthodox Christians proved himself a worthy vicar of Christ.

St. Alexander served as Patriarch for 30 years and died happy in the knowledge that Arianism would never again menace the sacred Orthodox dogma.

Excellent info.

Thanks for your help.

I'll be sure to pass it on.

Brad