Saint Philogonius, Bishop of Antioch

Commemorated on December 20.

Before becoming a bishop, Saint Philogonius was a laywer who defended the poor, the widowed and the orphaned. When his wife died, he was chosen as Bishop of Antioch.

Distinguished by profound theological knowledge, Saint Philogonius successfully defended Orthodoxy against the Arian heresy and by this prevented unrest in the Church.

During the persecution against Christians under the emperors Maximian (284-305)and Licinius (311-324), Saint Philogonius proved himself a confessor of the Orthodox Faith. He died peacefully in about the year 323. Saint John Chrysostom wrote a eulogy for Saint Philogonius in 386.