Hypatius the Wonderworker
Encyclopedia
Saint Hypatius the Wonderworker, Hypatius of Gangra (gr: Υπάτιος Γαγγρών) - Hieromartyr; titular Bishop of Gangra, Asia Minor
; present at the First Ecumenical Council where he supported Saint Athanasius the Great
against the Arian heresy
. The Eastern Orthodox Church
celebrates him on March 31.
to Gangra in year 326
, followers of Novatus and Felicissimus attacked him in a desolate place, and threw him into a muddy swamp. A woman who was amongst the attackers, struck him on the head with a rock - delivering a killing blow. Immediately after, she went mad, and started hitting herself with the same stone. She was healed only after they brought her back to the Saint's burial place.
The saint's body was found by some Christian
s who ran to the city of Gangra, and the inhabitants of the city came and buried the Saint - their beloved Archpriest
. After his death, the relics of the Saint were famous for numerous miracles. For that reason, he is called a Wonderworker.
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
; present at the First Ecumenical Council where he supported Saint Athanasius the Great
Athanasius of Alexandria
Athanasius of Alexandria [b. ca. – d. 2 May 373] is also given the titles St. Athanasius the Great, St. Athanasius I of Alexandria, St Athanasius the Confessor and St Athanasius the Apostolic. He was the 20th bishop of Alexandria. His long episcopate lasted 45 years Athanasius of Alexandria [b....
against the Arian heresy
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
. The Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
celebrates him on March 31.
Life
There is not much information about his life. On the road from ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
to Gangra in year 326
326
Year 326 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Constantinus...
, followers of Novatus and Felicissimus attacked him in a desolate place, and threw him into a muddy swamp. A woman who was amongst the attackers, struck him on the head with a rock - delivering a killing blow. Immediately after, she went mad, and started hitting herself with the same stone. She was healed only after they brought her back to the Saint's burial place.
The saint's body was found by some Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s who ran to the city of Gangra, and the inhabitants of the city came and buried the Saint - their beloved Archpriest
Archpriest
An archpriest is a priest with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches, although it may be used in the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church instead of dean or vicar forane.In the 16th and 17th centuries, during...
. After his death, the relics of the Saint were famous for numerous miracles. For that reason, he is called a Wonderworker.