St. Theodore Tyrone the Recruit (died February 17, 306) is a Christian saint and martyr. This saint is the first patron saint of the city of Venice
He enlisted in the Marmaritsky regiment as a recruiter in the city of Amasya (present-day Turkey) when the persecution of Christians under Emperors Maximian and Maximine began. In the city of Heraklion, he became a duke, and was known for professing the Christian faith which he had witnessed through a rigorous pious life.
Because of all the respect he received from the people, he resented Emperor Licinius. Being that Theodore Tyrone did not hide that he was also a Christian, he was sentenced by the Emperor’s order and imprisoned. The dungeon where Theodore was placed was closed and sealed because the judge wanted to leave him to starve to death,
After few days, Jesus Christ spoke to him in the dungeon and encouraged him, saying, “Do not fear Theodore, I am with you. Do not take any more earthly food nor drinks, for you will be in another life, eternal and impassable, with me in heaven.” At that moment many angels appeared in the dungeon and the whole dungeon was illuminated. When the guards saw angels dressed in white and they were very frightened.
After that occurrence, Saint Theodore was taken out of prison, tortured and sentenced to death. He was thrown into the fire and was killed at the behest of Licinius in 306.
His relics are located in the Novo Hopovo Monastery on Fruska Gora, Serbia.
St. Theodore became especially important in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The first church dedicated to him in Constantinople was built in 452, and eventually he had 15 churches in that city. He was famous in Syria, Palestine and Asia Minor. Many churches of the Eastern Orthodox Church are dedicated to him.
He is celebrated on February 17 by the Serbian Orthodox Church and by Julian calendar, and on March 2 by the Gregorian calendar. The Roman Catholic Church celebrates his name on November 9.
The Orthodox Church celebrates the holy martyr Theodore Komogovinsky, together with Saint Theodore Tyrone, on a day called Theodore’s Saturday aptly, the first Saturday of the Great Lent.
The Miracle of Saint Theodore Tyron of the boiled wheat
Fifty years after Saint Theodore’s martyrdom, Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), made a plan to corrupt the Christians during the first week of Great Lent. He knew that Christians purify themselves through fasting, especially during this week (which is why it is known as Clean Week). Therefore, he ordered the Polemarch (military leader) of Constantinople to go secretly and sprinkle all the food in the marketplace with the blood of animals which had been offered in sacrifice to idols.
So after that, Saint Theodore appeared to Archbishop Eudoxios in a dream, telling him to assemble all the Christians on Monday morning and tell them that they must not buy any food from the marketplace; instead they were to boil some kollyva and to eat it with some honey during that week. The hierarch asked Saint Theodore what he meant by kollyva. He replied, “Kollyva is what we call boiled wheat in Euchaita.” Thus the scheme of the idol-worshipping emperor was thwarted and the pious people were preserved undefiled during Clean Week.