The Feast of Saint Demetrios

Amongst the most popular saints in the Greek Orthodox Church is the Holy and Glorious Great Martyr Saint Demetrios. Saint Demetrios lived during the 4th century AD and belonged to a noble family in Thessaloniki. This allowed him to rise the ranks in the Roman military, despite being a Christian in a pagan empire. 

Saint Demetrios played a role in converting numerous pagans to Christianity during his lifetime. However, his Christian faith was not respected by all in the Roman Empire, leading many pagans to advocate for his arrest. 

During his imprisonment, there was a pagan festival in Thessaloniki, which involved games of combat. Nestor, a Christian man, was participating in the games and went to visit Saint Demetrios in prison to ask for a blessing before partaking in a single-combat game against the giant man Lyaeus. Saint Demetrios blessed Nestor who went on to win in the game, which has been likened to the story of David and Goliath. This further enraged the pagans, leading Emperor Maximian to call for the deaths of both Nestor and Demetrios in 306 AD. They were buried next to each other where Saint Demetrios had been kept as a prisoner. 

Saint Demetrios is often depicted atop a horse, slaying Tsar Kalyan of Zagora, a Bulgarian king who attempted to invade Thessaloniki in the 13th century. Although Saint Demetrios had been long dead by then, he is attributed with keeping Thessaloniki safe throughout many attempted sieges in the city’s history. 

One such event is the First Balkan War (1912), where the Balkan League (Greece, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Serbia) was attempting to throw-out the Ottoman soldiers remaining in their territories. The war began on October 8, 1912 and on October 26, 1912 – Saint Demetrios’ Feast Day – the Greeks successfully entered Thessaloniki, kicking out the Ottomans in the process. It was after this that Saint Demetrios was declared the Patron Saint of Thessaloniki. 

Celebrations for Saint Demetrios are largest in the city of Thessaloniki as it not only marks Saint Demetrios’ feast day, but also the Liberation of Thessaloniki. Saint Demetrios’ feast day is commemorated with a service of the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, which takes place on the morning of October 26. Those named Demetrios of Demetra celebrate their name-days on this day.