Saint · † 386
Cyrill, Archbishop of Jerusalem
Holy Hierarch Cyrill, Archbishop of Jerusalem († 386)
New Calendar March 18 Old Calendar March 31
Why they are a saint
Holy Hierarch Cyrill, Archbishop of Jerusalem († 386) is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on March 18. Venerated as a hierarch, a bishop who shepherded the Church in holiness; little else about his life has come down to us.
Limited historical information is available about this saint.
Life
Saint Cyril was born in Jerusalem in 315 and raised in strict piety. He became a monk, was ordained presbyter in 346, and in 350 succeeded Archbishop Maximus on the throne of Jerusalem. He fought the heresies of Arius and Macedonius and so roused the enmity of the Arian bishops, who sought to depose and banish him.
In 351, on Pentecost, a radiant Cross appeared in the sky over Jerusalem, stretching from Golgotha to the Mount of Olives, and Cyril reported it to the emperor Constantius. During a famine he spent all his wealth in charity and pawned church vessels to buy wheat for the starving. In his teaching he urged Christians to inscribe the Symbol of Faith on the tablets of the heart. He died in 386.
Sources: OCA Lives of the Saints. Retold in our own words.
Traditional patronage
The cited source names no specific patronage.
Patronage / why chosen as patron
Orthodox Christians usually take Cyrill as a patron when they bear the name Hierarch at baptism, or were born or baptized near the feast on March 18. As a bishop, he is also remembered by clergy and those who serve the Church.
Prayer
O holy Cyrill, Archbishop of Jerusalem, pray to God for us.
A short general prayer to a saint, not a liturgical text. No public-domain troparion for this saint is included.