E05361: The Life of *Theodoros (abbot of Sykeon, ob. 613, S01619), by Eleusios-Georgios of Sykeon, mentions the acquisition of relics of *George (soldier and martyr, S00259), and of the cloak of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033), by the monastery of Theodoros at Sykeon. Written in Greek at Sykeon (central Asia Minor), in the 640s.

Georgios of Sykeon, Life of Theodoros, abbot of Sykeon and bishop of Anastasiopolis (CPG 7973 = BHG 1748)

100. 1-8. Ἐπόθει δὲ ὁ μακάριος λείψανα τοῦ ἐνδόξου καὶ πολυάθλου μάρτυρος Γεωργίου εὑρεῖν, καὶ ἐδέετο αὐτοῦ πληρῶσαι τὸν τοιοῦτον αὐτοῦ πόθον. Ἦν δὲ ὁ ὁσιώτατος Αἰμιλιανὸς ὁ ἐπίσκοπος τῶν Γερμίων ἔχων ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας αὐτοῦ κεφαλῆς μερίδα, καὶ τῆς χειρὸς ἕνα δάκτυλον, καὶ ἕνα τῶν ὀδόντων, καὶ ἄλλην μία μερίδα. Ἐφάνη οὖν ὁ μάρτυς τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ, παρακελευόμενος αὐτῷ δοῦναι αὐτὰ τῷ αὐτοῦ θεράποντι Θεοδώρῳ εἰς τὸν παρ’ αὐτοῦ οἰκοδομηθέντα αὐτῷ ναόν.

‘100. 1-8. The blessed man desired to find relics of the glorious and multiply victorious martyr Georgios, and used to pray to him that this his desire might be fulfilled. Now the most holy Aimilianos, the bishop of Germia, had a piece from his holy head, and a finger from his hand, and one of his teeth, and another piece. Thus the martyr appeared to the bishop, ordering him to give them to his servant Theodoros, for the church he had built for him.’

Aimilianos invites Theοdoros to Germia. The latter arrives and, after veneration at the church of *Michael the Archangel, is received by at the monastery of *Mary the Virgin, called Aligete.


128. 1-14. Δομνιτζιόλου δὲ τοῦ ἐνδοξοτάτου πατρικίου καὶ κουροπαλάτου ὑποσχομένου ποιῆσαι σταυρὸν χρυσοῦν ἐπὶ τῇ χρείᾳ τῆς τε λιτῆς καὶ καὶ τῆς προσκυνήσεως, ἀπέστειλεν ὁ ὅσιος ἕνα ἀποκρισιάριον αὐτοῦ, Ἐπιφάνιον τοὔνομα, τῆς διακονίας ἠξιωμένον ἐν τῇ Πόλει, πρὸς αὐτόν. Ὁ δὲ φιλόχριστος δοὺς τὸ χρυσίον τεχνίτῃ χρυσοχόῳ ἐκέλευσε τῷ ἀποσταλέντι ἀποκρισιαρίῳ προσκαρτερεῖν εἰς τὴν τοῦ τοιούτου ἔργου κατασκευήν. Καὶ ὁ ἅγιώτατος δὲ πατριάρχης Θωμᾶς, ὁ μετὰ τὸν ἐν μακαρίᾳ τῇ μνήμῃ Κυριακὸν τὸν τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης θρόνον τῆς βασιλευούσης πόλεως κατέχων, συγχαίρων τῇ τοῦ ἐνδόξου ἀνδρὸς καρποφορίᾳ ἔδωκε καὶ αὐτὸς μερίδα έκ τοῦ τιμίου ξύλου, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ τιμίου λίθου τοῦ ἁγίου Κρανίου, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἁγίου μνήματος τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ, καὶ κράσπεδον έκ τοῦ μαφορίου τῆς παναγίας θεοτόκου, ἐπὶ τῷ βληθῆναι εἰς τὸ ὀμφάλιον τὸ μέσῳ τοῦ γενομένου σταυροῦ.

‘Since the most glorious patrician and kouropalates Domnitziolos had promised to produce a golden cross for use in processions and veneration, the holy man sent an envoy of his, named Epiphanios and honoured with the diaconate, to him at the City. The Christ-loving man gave the gold to a goldsmith and instructed the envoy to wait for the production of the piece. Besides, the most holy Patriarch Thomas, who, after Kyriakos of blessed memory, was occupying the pontifical throne of the imperial capital, endorsed the donation of the noble man and gave himself a piece from the precious wood, and from the precious rock of Calvary, from the holy tomb of our Saviour and God, and from the edge of the cloak of the All-Holy Mother of God, in order to be placed in the capsule in the middle of the cross that had been produced.’

Text: Festugière 1970.
Translation: Efthymios Rizos.