Saint Achillius of Larissa, also known as Achilles, Ailus, Achillas, or Achilius (, ''Ágios Achílleios'') (died 330 AD), was a 4th century bishop of Larissa and one of the 318 persons present at the

First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea ( ; ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I. The Council of Nicaea met from May until the end of July 325. This ec ...

. His feast day is on 15 May.Ὁ Ἅγιος Ἀχίλλιος Ἐπίσκοπος Λαρίσης
ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.

Life

Achillius was

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...

Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Achillius is mainly remembered for his vehement defense of orthodoxy during the Council of Nicea and a

miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

he performed in testimony against

Arianism Arianism (, ) is a Christology, Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is co ...

Taking up a stone, Achillius called to the Arians: 'If
Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...
is a creature of God, as you say, tell
oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
to flow from this stone.' The
heretics Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...
kept silent, amazed at this demand by St. Achillius. Then the saint continued: 'And if the
Son of God Historically, many rulers have assumed titles such as the son of God, the son of a god or the son of heaven. The term "Son of God" is used in the Hebrew Bible as another way to refer to humans who have a special relationship with God. In Exo ...
is equal to the
Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...
, as we believe, then let oil flow from this stone.' And oil flowed out, to the amazement of all.

Upon returning from the Council, Achillius is reputed to have "cast down many

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

temples, built many churches, nd cast out many demons". The 1910

Catholic Encyclopedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

makes issue to reference Achillius in its article about the bishopric of

We must mention especially, St. Achilius, in the fourth century, whose feast is on 15 May, and who is celebrated for his miracles.

Veneration

Achillius died in Larissa in the year 330. When Samuel, Emperor of Bulgaria, conquered Thessaly, he translated the relics of Achillius to

Prespa Prespa (, , ) is a region shared between North Macedonia, Greece and Albania. It shares the same name with the two Prespa lakes which are situated in the middle of the region. The largest town is Resen in North Macedonia with 9,000 inhabitan ...

, to an island in a lake that was subsequently named after the saint.Se
Macedonia Historical Maps
which cites "St Achillius" as a "small island with Byzantine churches" in

. A district of Larissa is called ''Saint Achellios'' after this saint.

Notes

External links

Achillius the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Larissa
from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America: Kontakion and reading for 15 May
Icon of Achillios
at OramaWorld.com

from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture
Achillios
article on the islet which houses the ruins of the basilica

{{DEFAULTSORT:Achillius Of Larissa 330 deaths 4th-century bishops in the Roman Empire 4th-century Christian saints Ancient Larissaeans Saints of Roman Macedonia Year of birth unknown Greek exorcists Bishops of Larissa Participants in the First Council of Nicaea

Life

Veneration

See also

Notes

External links