Tryphon, Respicius, and Nympha
| Saint Tryphon | |
|---|---|
Russian Orthodox icon of St. Tryphon of Campsada.
| |
| Great martyr, Holy unmercenary | |
| Born | Campsada, Phrygia (now Turkey) |
| Died | 250 AD Nicaea (modern-day Iznik, Bursa, Turkey) |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine | Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in Kotor |
| Feast | 1 February [O.S. 14 February] in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox calendars 10 November (formerly in the Roman Catholic Church); |
| Attributes | falcon |
| Patronage | gardeners and winegrowers; Kotor, Montenegro; Moscow, Russia; invoked against rodents and locusts |
Tryphon, Respicius, and Nympha — Saint Tryphon of Campsada (Greek: Τρύφων: Trúphōn; also spelled Trypho, Trifon, Triphon) was a 3rd-century Christian saint. He is venerated by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches as a great martyr and holy unmercenary.
Saint Tryphon was formerly celebrated jointly with Saints Respicius and Nympha on 10 November in the liturgical calendar of the Latin Church from the eleventh century until the twentieth,[1] and remains on the liturgical calendar of the extraordinary form of the Roman rite. Saint Tryphon continues to be celebrated (separately) on 1 February [O.S. 14 February] on both the Orthodox liturgical calendar and the Roman Calendar of Saints.
Life
Saint Tryphon was born at Campsada in Phrygia (now Turkey),[2] and as a boy took care of geese. His name is derived from the Greek τρυφή (tryphe) meaning "softness, delicacy". He acquired fame as a healer, especially of animals, and is considered one of the Holy Unmercenaries, particularly invoked on farms.[3]
During the Decian persecution he was taken to Nicaea about the year 250 and was tortured in a horrible manner. He was beheaded with a sword after he had converted the heathen prefect Licius. Fabulous stories are interwoven with his hagiography.[4]
Veneration
His feast day is on 1 February [O.S. 14 February] in both the Eastern Orthodox Church[5] and (now) in the Roman Catholic Church.[6]
He is greatly venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church, in which he is also the patron saint of gardeners and winegrowers.[7] In Serbia, North Macedonia and Bulgaria, St Tryphon is celebrated by vine growers.[7][8] The celebrations are a fertility rite intended to encourage the growth of the vines, and it is also thought that human infertility can be cured on this day.[9] Many Greeks continue this celebration and have special customs every year.[10]
In Russia, Tryphon is venerated as a patron of birds.[4] In Russian icons of the saint, he is often shown holding a falcon,[4] a reference to a miracle attributed to his intercessions. Prayers attributed to him are used against infestations of rodents and locusts. One such prayer appears in the Great Euchologion.[11] Saint Trifon is often depicted with a merlin on hand as he was traditionally venerated by Moscow hunters.
Many churches were dedicated to him. The Eastern Emperor, Leo VI the Wise (d. 912), delivered a eulogy in Tryphon's honour. He is the protector saint of the town of Kotor in Montenegro and one of the patron saints of Moscow.[4] The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in Kotor is dedicated to him.
Relics
His relics were first buried in his native Kampsada. Later, they were translated to Constantinople and then to Rome.[4][5] His head is kept in the Kotor Cathedral. A portion of his relics are enthroned in the Holy Altar of Saint Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Church in Springfield IL[12]
Respicius and Nympha
In the Latin Church, 10 November was formerly a feast day associated with Saint Tryphon and two other saints, of whom little is known: Respicius and Nympha.[2] While Saint Trypho is still listed in the Roman Martyrology, Respicius and Nympha have been omitted.
In about 1005, the monk Theodoric of Fleury wrote, on the basis of earlier written legends, an account of Tryphon in which Respicius appears as his companion.[2] The relics of both were preserved, together with those of a holy virgin named Nympha, at the Hospital of the Holy Ghost in Sassia. The church of this hospital was a cardinal's title, which, together with the relics of these saints, was transferred by Pope Pius V to the Church of St. Augustine in 1566.
One tradition held that Nympha (Ninfa)[13] was a virgin martyr from Palermo who was put to death for the faith at the beginning of the fourth century. According to other versions of the legend, when the Vandals invaded Sicily, she fled from Palermo to the Italian mainland and died in the sixth century at Savona. The feast of her translation is observed at Palermo on 19 August.[2] Some believe that there were two saints of this name. Before 1624 Palermo had four patron saints, one for each of the four major parts of the city. They were Saint Agatha, Saint Christina, Saint Nympha, and Saint Olivia. Their images are displayed at the Quattro Canti, in the centre of Palermo.
From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
Tryphon, Respicius, and Nympha — Martyrs whose feast is observed in the Latin Church on 10 November. Tryphon is said to have been born at Kampsade in Phrygia and as a boy took care of geese. During the Decian persecution he was taken to Nicfa about the year 250 and put to death in a horrible manner after he had converted the heathen prefect Licius. Fabulous stories are interwoven with his legend. He is greatly venerated in the Greek Church which observes his feast on 1 February. In this Church he is also the patron saint of gardeners. Many churches were dedicated to him, and the Eastern Emperor, Leo VI, the Philosopher (d. 912), delivered a eulogy upon Tryphon. About the year 1005 the monk Theodoric of Fleury wrote an account of him based upon earlier written legends; in Theodoric's story Respicius appears as Tryphon's companion. The relics of both were preserved together with those of a holy virgin named Nympha, at the Hospital of the Holy Ghost in Sassia. Nympha was a virgin from Palermo who was put to death for the Faith at the beginning of the fourth century. According to other versions of the legend, when the Goths invaded Sicily she fled from Palermo to the Italian mainland and died in the sixth century at Savona. The feast of her translation is observed at Palermo on 19 August. Some believe that there were two saints of this name. The church of the Hospital of the Holy Ghost at Rome was a cardinal's title which, together with the relics of these saints, was transferred in 1566 by Pope Pius V to the Church of St. Augustine. A Greek text of the life of St. Tryphon was discovered by Father Franchi de Cavallieri, Hagio-graphica (Rome, 1908), in the series Studi e Texti, XIX. The Latin Acts are to be found in Ruinart, Acta Martyrum. Analecta Bollandiana, XXVII, 7-10, 15; XXVIII, 217.
References
- Back to citation Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 145
- Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 Back to citation occurrence 2.3 Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Tryphon, Respicius, and Nympha". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- Back to citation Parry, Ken; David Melling, eds. (1999). The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity. Malden, MA.: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-23203-6.
- Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Back to citation occurrence 4.2 Back to citation occurrence 4.3 Back to citation occurrence 4.4 "Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria". Orthodox Church in America. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Ἅγιος Τρύφων ὁ Μάρτυρας. 1 Φεβρουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
- Back to citation Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7)
- Back to citation occurrence 7.0 Back to citation occurrence 7.1 "Plovdiv Region Welcomes Diplomats in Celebration of Day of Saint Tryphon". Guide-Bulgaria. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2008.
- Back to citation E. V. N. (14 February 2012). "Obeleženi Sveti Trifun i Dan zaljubljenih" [Saint Tryphon and Saint Valentine celebrated] (in Serbian). Večernje Novosti. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- Back to citation Nicoloff, Assen (1975). Bulgarian Folklore, Folk Beliefs, Customs, Folksongs, Personal Names. A. Nicoloff. p. 22. Retrieved 14 May 2008.
- Back to citation I Trífanus – Saint Tryphon; performer: Paschalis Nendidis; camera/ interview: Sotirios Rousiakis; transcription: Thede Kahl, Sotirios Rousiakis; translation: Sotirios Rousiakis; editor: Ani Antonova; retrieved from www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH, ID number: thra1248GRV0035a; see also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiPRn4u6vs8
- Back to citation Parry, Ken; David Melling, eds. (1999). The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity. Malden, MA.: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-23203-6.
- Back to citation Quarterly Review of the Michigan Alumnus. UM Libraries. 1960. pp. 113–. UOM:39015071119427.
- Back to citation Dunbar, Agnes Baillie Cunninghame (1905). A Dictionary of Saintly Women. Bell. p. 105. Retrieved 4 June 2024.