| St Maruthas
Claim to fame: A Syrian monk who became bishop, and a friend of St John Chrysostom. He negotiated the truce between the Emperor Theodosius and the king of Persia, King Shapur. Quote: “A man that is guided by the Spirit fears not death: he loves God, and goes to him with an incredible ardour; but he, who lives according to the desires of the flesh, trembles, and is in despair at its approach: he loves the world, and it is with grief that he leaves it”. Fun fact: He brought into his episcopal city the relics of so many martyrs that it received the surname Martyropolis. |