Military saint


The military saints, warrior saints and soldier saints are patron saints, martyrs and other saints associated with the military. They were originally composed of the early Christians who were soldiers in the Roman army during the persecution of Christians, especially the Diocletianic Persecution of AD 303-313.
Most of the early Christian military saints were soldiers of the Roman Empire who had become Christian and, after refusing to participate in Imperial cult rituals of loyalty to the Roman Emperor, were subjected to corporal punishment including torture and martyrdom.
Veneration of these saints, most notably of Saint George, was reinforced in the Latin Church during the time of the Crusades. The title of "champion of Christ" was originally used for these saints, but in the late medieval period also conferred on contemporary rulers by the Pope.
Since the Middle Ages, more saints have been added for various military-related patronages.

Hagiography

In Late Antiquity, Christian writers of hagiography, prominently including Sulpicius Severus in his account of the heroic, military life of Martin of Tours, created a literary model that reflected the new spiritual, political, and social ideals of a post-Roman society.
In a study of Anglo-Saxon soldier saints, J. E. Damon has demonstrated the persistence of Sulpicius's literary model in the transformation of the pious, peaceful saints and willing martyrs of late antique hagiography to the Christian heroes of the early Middle Ages, who appealed to the newly converted societies led by professional warriors and who exemplified accommodation with and eventually active participation in holy wars that were considered just.

Iconography

The military saints are characteristically depicted as soldiers in traditional Byzantine iconography from about the 10th century and especially in Slavic Christianity.
While early icons show the saints in "classicizing" or anachronistic attire, icons from the 11th and especially the 12th centuries, painted in the new style of τύπων μιμήματα, are an important source of knowledge on medieval Byzantine military equipment.
The angelic prototype of the Christian soldier-saint is the Archangel Michael, whose earliest known cultus began in the 5th century with a shrine at Monte Gargano.
The iconography of soldier-saints Theodore and George
as cavalrymen develops in the early medieval period.
The earliest image of
St Theodore as a horseman is from Vinica, North Macedonia and, if genuine, dates to the 6th or 7th century. Here, Theodore is not slaying a dragon, but holding a draco standard.
Three equestrian saints, Demetrius, Theodore and George, are depicted in the "Zoodochos Pigi" chapel in central Macedonia in Greece, in the prefecture of Kilkis, near the modern village of Kolchida, dated to the 9th or 10th century.
The "dragon-slaying" motif develops in the 10th century, especially iconography seen in the Cappadocian cave churches of Göreme, where frescoes of the 10th century show military saints on horseback confronting serpents with one, two or three heads.
In later medieval Byzantine iconography, the pair of horsemen is no longer identified as Theodore and George, but as George and Demetrius.

List

Catholic

ImageNameMartyrdomLocationChurchPatronage
Agathius303ByzantiumCatholic Church, Eastern Orthodox ChurchSoldiers
100pxAdrian of Nicomedia306NicomediaCatholic Church, Coptic Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox ChurchSoldiers, Royal guard
Andrew the General300Taurus MountainsCatholic Church, Eastern Orthodox ChurchArmy, soldiers
File:Michael of salonica.jpg|100px|Demetrius of Thessaloniki, 12th century Greek mosaic from KievDemetrius of Thessaloniki306ThessalonikiAnglicanism, Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheranism, Oriental Orthodox ChurchesSoldiers
Barbara267Aglipayan, Anglicanism, Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox ChurchesArtillery, combat engineer, missileers including those of the Strategic Rocket Forces, the Missile and Artillery Forces, and the Air Defense Forces, Space Forces and the United States Army Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery Branches
Cornelius the CenturionPre-CongregationunknownAnglican Communion, Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox ChurchSoldiers
Chrysogonus303AquileiaCatholic Church, Eastern Orthodox ChurchCity of Zadar, 112th brigade and 7th regiment of the Croatian army
George303Nicomedia in BithyniaAnglicanism, Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheranism, Oriental Orthodox ChurchesPatronages
Gereon304CologneCatholic Church, Coptic Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox ChurchKnights
James the Great44JerusalemAnglicanism, Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheranism, Oriental Orthodox ChurchesSoldiers, knights, Military Archbishopric of Spain
Joan of Arc1431Rouen, NormandyCatholicMilitary personnel, US Women's Army Corps, WAVES
John the Warrior4th centurySomewhere in Constantinople Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox ChurchSoldiers
Ignatius of Loyola1556Rome, Papal StatesAnglican Communion, CatholicSoldiers, Military Ordinariate of the Philippines
File:Mathis_Gothart_Gr%C3%BCnewald 011.jpg|100px|, Saint Maurice by Matthias GrünewaldMaurice287 Agaunum in Alpes Poeninae et GraiaeCatholic Church, Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox ChurchesAlpine troops, Swiss Guard
File:Saint Martin Grandes Heures Anne de Bretagne XVIe.jpg|100px|Saint Martin of Tours from the Grandes Heures of Anne of Brittany.Martin of Tours397Candes-Saint-Martin, GaulCatholic and Eastern Orthodox ChurchUS Army Quartermaster Corps, infantrymen,
Mercurius250Caesarea in CappadociaCatholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches-
Michael the ArchangelAnglicanism, Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheranism, Oriental Orthodox ChurchesMilitary; paratroopers; policemen.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel1226---
Our Lady of LorettoCatholicAirmen
Pope John XXIIICatholicItalian Army
Sebastian288ItalyAglipayan, Anglicanism, Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox ChurchesSoldiers, infantrymen, archers
Sergius and Bacchus306 Resafa and Barbalissos in MesopotamiaAssyrian Church of the East, Catholic Church, Coptic Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox ChurchesArmy, soldiers
Theodore of Amasea306 Amasea Amasya in HelenopontusCatholic Church and Eastern Orthodox ChurchSoldiers
Typasius304Tigava, Mauretania Caesariensis
Vardan Mamikonian451Avarayr Plain, Vaspurakan, ArmeniaArmenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Catholic Church, Armenian Evangelical Church
Varus307AlexandriaCoptic Churches
Victor Maurus303MilanCatholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheranism
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste320Sebaste--

Eastern Orthodox Church

In the Romanian Orthodox Church: