Description
St. Tryphon was born in Campsada, or Lampsacus on the Hellespont, now in modern day Turkey. He was a herder of geese and also a healer of men because of his great faith and love of Jesus Christ. His name is from the Greek “tryphe,” which means “softness or delicacy,” and his heart was truly such by his great Christian love. When the Roman Emperor Gordian I (in a.d. 238) had a daughter who went mad, it was revealed that only a man named Tryphon could cure her. After an extensive search, St. Tryphon was brought to where she was and healed her by Christ’s power.
In time this blessed healing was forgotten. During the time of the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Decius (from a.d. 249 to 251), St. Tryphon was taken to Nicaea, where he was tortured, but to the amazement of all remained unharmed by such cruelty. He converted the pagan prefect Licius during his trials, and finally was beheaded to fly to Heaven in a.d. 250. He is one of the Holy Unmercenary Healers, and is called upon for help against infestations of rodents and locusts. He is one of the patrons of Moscow, and is much beloved even today.