Description
Christopher or Christopher (Latin: Christophorus; Greek: Χριστόφορος, "Christ-bearer") is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches. Christopher is considered an important saint who was and is venerated in many countries and periods. His feast day is July 24 (before the Second Vatican Council, his feast day fell on July 25, but because that is also the feast day of the Apostle James, Saint Christopher was moved up one day). In the Orthodox Church, his feast day falls on May 9. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, he was often depicted as a giant with the head of a dog. In the Middle Ages, Christopher was considered one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, who could also be invoked as a group in an emergency. He was said to protect against the plague and against an "unforeseen death," that is, death without receiving the last rites. Because of the short life expectancy of medieval people, (popular) prints and statues of the bearer of Christ were ubiquitous in the late Middle Ages, in market squares, homes, and churches. One of these prints (the so-called Buxheimer Christophorus in Manchester) bears the inscription "Christofori faciem die quacumque tueris Illa nempe die morte male non morieris" (= "On whatever day you see the face of Christopher, on that day you will certainly not die an evil death").
