Saint Spyridon – the Wonderworker and Guardian of the Craftsmen

Authors:

Pages: 125-136
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/TKXG1923

Abstract:

Saint Spyridon of Trimythous takes a central place in the pantheon of the most popular and beloved guardian saints within Bulgarian society. His name comes from Latin “Spiritus Donum” and means “Spiritual gift”. According to some sources the name translates as “bread basket” or “grain gift”, which explains the commonly spread iconographic image of the saint with a straw hat on his head. The Orthodox Church celebrates his merit on the 12/25 of December and the people hail him as helper and protector against all troubles and evil. The saint is very popular as a guardian of craftsmen and his day is celebrated as a professional holyday of potters, bricklayers, shoemakers, coppersmiths, goldsmiths and others. In the following article the folklore beliefs, customs and practices, related to him are represented, with some archive materials on the celebration of Saint Spyridon’s day amongst the Tarnovo guildsmen as a patron holyday included. The attention is turned towards the main elements of the holyday and the common tradition to donate icons of the guardian saint to churches and monasteries.

Keywords:

Guardian saint; guild holyday; folklore beliefs and customs; related to Saint Spyridon

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