The saint library

Saint Proterius of Alexandria

Patriarch and martyr
Alexandria, Egypt
Feast day: February 28 (Finnish Orthodox commemoration)

February calendar icon fragment: Basil the Confessor and Proterius of Alexandria stand at the left; John Cassian stands at the right, with the Tree of Jesse between them. Image source: Museum of Russian Icons, February calendar guide, page 9

A life of faith

Proterius was a priest in fifth-century Alexandria and became its patriarch after the Council of Chalcedon. He upheld the council’s teaching that Christ is fully divine and fully human. His appointment met strong opposition in a divided city. When residents faced hunger after an imperial order disrupted their grain supply, he mediated with the emperor and obtained its reversal. In 457, during violent conflict over the patriarchate, he was killed while sheltering in a church. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria honors him as a saint.

The Eastern Orthodox Church remembers saints in prayer and commemoration. Their lives offer examples for Christians learning to live their faith.

A reflection

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Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria

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