Martyr · 3rd century
Tryphon of Lampsacus
Martyr Tryphon of Lampsacus near Apamea in Syria
New Calendar February 1 Old Calendar February 14
Why they are a saint
Tryphon of Lampsacus was young goose-herd and martyr; asked by gardeners and farmers against pests, and by hunters. The years given for this life are 3rd century. The New Calendar feast is February 1. This memory is kept in the whole Orthodox Church.
Life
Saint Tryphon was born in the village of Lampsacus in Phrygia. From his early years the Lord gave him power to cast out demons and heal diseases; by his prayer he turned back a plague of locusts that threatened his native region with famine, and he cast an evil spirit out of the daughter of the emperor Gordian. He asked of those he helped only faith in Jesus Christ.
Under Decius he was denounced for preaching Christ and leading many to Baptism. He was cruelly tortured and finally beheaded with the sword, after thanking God for strengthening him. A Russian tradition tells of a falconer who found the Tsar's lost falcon through his help; icons often show him holding a falcon.
Sources: OCA Lives of the Saints. Retold in our own words.
Traditional patronage
The cited source says he is greatly venerated in the Russian Church as the heavenly protector of Moscow.
Patronage / why chosen as patron
Patron of gardens and crops against pests, hunters, farmers, because he cared for fields and flocks, as told in his life.
Prayer
O holy Tryphon of Lampsacus, 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.
Do not confuse with Tryphon of Vyatka; Tryphon of Pechenga; Patriarch Tryphon.