Saint Alexios

Description

Saint of Christianity, also known as the “man of God”. His memory is celebrated on March 17 by the Orthodox Church and on July 17 by the Catholic Church.
Alexios was born in Rome at the end of the 4th century to noble and wealthy parents, the patrician Euphimanos and Aglaida. According to tradition he was married at a young age at the insistence of his parents, but on the first night of the wedding he left the conjugal home and went to Edessa in Mesopotamia (today’s Urfa, Turkey), where he lived for ten years as a beggar. When his identity was in danger of being revealed, he was forced to leave the area, despite the locals’ appreciation of his virtue.
Alexius boarded a ship bound for Tarsus in Cilicia, but on the way the ship ran into a storm and ended up in Rome. Without thinking about it, he fled to his father’s house and asked for a place to stay, without revealing his identity. However, he was met with general indifference and contempt, as reported by the Synaxarists. He could see his father and mother walking past him and ignoring him, while his family’s slaves played games with him. When he realized that his end was near, he asked for a piece of paper and wrote everything about his life. The paper was found by divine command by the emperor of the Western Roman Empire, Honorius, and he read it before a large audience, causing general astonishment. The funeral of Alexios was magnificent and pandemonium and took place in the church of the Apostle Peter in Rome. Alexios was called “man of God” because, when he died, a heavenly voice (of God or the Virgin Mary) was heard, revealing his holiness, saying: “You asked for the man of God.” It is possible, however, that he himself answered that he is a man of God, when he was asked who he is, in order not to reveal his identity.