Patron Saint of Travellers
Saint Christopher Is the Protector of Motorists, Storms and Plagues
Feb 21, 2008 Dulcinea Norton-Smith
Despite being one of the most famous of the Patron Saints nothing is known for certain of the life and death of Saint Christopher other than well known legends. This is surprisingly true of many of the most well known saints, another example being Saint George. The reason for this is that until the Vatican took over the naming of saints in the 10th Century, saints were largely chosen by public acclaim. This often led to saints being chosen because of widespread legend and in some cases it is doubted whether some saints even existed. In 1969 the Vatican reformed the Feast Day Calendar and removed any saints for whom their was little or no historical evidence of existence. One of these saints was Saint Christopher, whose original feast day was 25th July.
The Legend of Saint Christopher
Saint Christopher was originally born and named Offerus. He was unusually large and strong and so decided to only show allegiance to others with greater strength and bravery than his own. It was for this reason that he bound himself to Satan until deciding that Satan wasn't worthy of his loyalty as he was so lacking in courage that he was afraid of the sight of a cross.
He later met a hermit who convinced him that a master worthy of his worship would be Christ. Offerus was baptised and given the name Christopher. Christopher did little in the way of showing his loyalty to God, even refusing to pray, but he did acquiesce to carrying people across a fast flowing river in the name of God. It was whilst doing this that he carried a small child across the river who grew heavier as he crossed. On reaching the other side the child revealed himself as Christ and the weight as the weight of the world on his shoulders. To prove his claim the child planted Christopher's walking staff in the ground. The next day it had grown into a fruit bearing palm tree.
Though this miracle caused Christopher's belief in the worthy strength of Christ it also caused his death as the King, unhappy with the number of people this miracle converted to the faith, ordered Christopher to be tortured and beheaded. The name Christopher means Christ bearer.
The Image of Saint Christopher
The image of Saint Christopher is most often used to protect travellers. Statues can often be found on bridges along with the inscription “Whoever shall behold the image of Saint Christopher shall not faint or fall that day”.
Along with that of Saint George, Saint Christopher is one of the most familiar images of a Patron Saint. He is usually seen crossing a river carrying a child with a staff in one hand and is displayed on many a medal, signet ring and charm.
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