Hieromartyr
Hieromartyr Philagrius of Cyprus, Bishop of Kourion
I век
Hieromartyr Philagrius of Cyprus — a disciple of the Apostle Peter, appointed by him as bishop on Cyprus (per the primary tradition, at Kourion; per a secondary tradition found in the chronicler Leontios Machairas, at Paphos); he spread Christianity among the pagans of the island and suffered a martyr's death at their hands.
Hieromartyr Philagrius was a disciple of the Apostle Peter, who personally appointed him bishop on the island of Cyprus — per the primary, most widespread tradition, to the see of the city of Kourion (Curium); one secondary source — the chronicle of the 15th-century Cypriot chronicler Leontios Machairas — connects his name with Paphos. Zealously preaching the Gospel among the pagan population of the island, Bishop Philagrius, according to his vita, endured no small trials from demons and eventually suffered a martyr's death at the hands of pagans; the specific circumstances of his execution and the name of the persecutor are not given in the surviving sources. He lived in the 1st century; his exact dates are not established. His memory is kept on February 9/22.