Name day
Boniface: Name Day and Patron Saint
Boniface keeps the name day on 19 December, or 1 January on the Old Calendar: the feast of St Boniface of Tarsus.
- Patron saint
- St Boniface of Tarsus
- New Calendar
- 19 December
- Old Calendar
- 1 January
- Next name day
- 19 December 2026 (New Calendar) · 1 January 2027 (Old Calendar)
- In the feast calendar
- The feasts of December · The feasts of January
The patron saint: St Boniface of Tarsus
Kept on 19 December, or 1 January on the Old Calendar · Martyrdom (with Righteous Aglaia of Rome)
St Boniface was the steward of Aglaia, a rich young woman of Rome, and lived with her in sin; by his own Life he spent his days in drunkenness and dissipation. Yet both felt the sting of conscience. Aglaia sent him east to bring back the relics of a martyr, and as he left Boniface joked, “What if I bring back my own?” On the road he fasted and prayed. At Tarsus he saw Christians being tortured, kissed their wounds, and confessed Christ himself. He endured boiling tar unharmed and was beheaded, and his companions — who first assumed he had gone off drinking — bought back his body and carried it to Rome, where Aglaia received it with reverence and spent her remaining years in repentance. Because Boniface knew the bondage of drink and was freed from it, Orthodox Christians, especially wives and mothers, pray to him for loved ones caught in drunkenness.
What the faithful pray for
- deliverance from the passion of drunkenness
- deliverance from the passion of wine-drinking for a husband, son or father
- sincere repentance and a change of life
- the forgiveness of sins
- strength against temptation
- the return of a loved one to sobriety and to the Church
Protection
- from drunkenness
- from despair over a loved one’s addiction
- from enemies visible and invisible
Miracles
- When Boniface was beheaded at Tarsus, blood and a milky fluid flowed from his wounds, and about 550 onlookers came to believe in Christ. (source)
- An angel bedewed him in a cauldron of boiling tar, which overflowed and burned his torturers instead. (source)
- Through prayer to him, the Lord has many times delivered people from the passion of wine-drinking. (source)
Boniface in other languages
| Language | The name | Short forms |
|---|---|---|
| English | Boniface | |
| Greek | Βονιφάτιος, Vonifatios | |
| Russian | Вонифатий, Vonifaty |
An icon for Boniface
We don't carry an icon of St Boniface of Tarsus yet. Ask for it below, and we will write to you when it is in.
Closest to it
Folding diptychSt Edward the Martyr, King of England & Guardian Angel
Another martyr$99$69
Folding diptychSt John the Warrior & Guardian Angel
Another martyr$99$69
Folding diptychChrist (Zvenigorod Saviour) & Vladimir Mother of God
Christ and the Mother of God keep every Christian home$99$69
For every name: the Guardian Angel, given at baptism
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you: Consecration, $49.
A name-day gift for Boniface
Name-Day Gift Set $213$149
A patron saint's folding diptych chosen by first name, a stainless steel crucifix and a prayer rope, in a gift box with a card giving the saint's life and feast day.
The St Nicholas the Wonderworker & Guardian Angel Folding Diptych is chosen, for the Guardian Angel every Orthodox Christian receives at baptism, and the name is filled in.
Questions
When is Boniface’s name day?
Boniface keeps the name day on 19 December on the New Calendar and on 1 January on the Old Calendar, the feast of St Boniface of Tarsus.
Who is the patron saint of Boniface?
St Boniface of Tarsus. St Boniface was the steward of Aglaia, a rich young woman of Rome, and lived with her in sin; by his own Life he spent his days in drunkenness and dissipation.
How is Boniface written in other languages?
Greek: Βονιφάτιος (Vonifatios) and Russian: Вонифатий (Vonifaty). Every form of the name keeps the same saint.
What is a good name-day gift for Boniface?
We don’t carry an icon of St Boniface of Tarsus yet, and you can ask for one on this page. Every Orthodox Christian has a Guardian Angel from baptism, so the Name-Day Gift Set ($149) with the Guardian Angel diptych is always fitting.
More about name days
- Name Days Explained: What They Are, How Families Keep Them, and Gifts
A name day is the feast of the saint whose name you carry. Here is how to find yours on either calendar, how Greek and Russian families keep it, and what to give.
- Orthodox Patron Saint: How to Find Yours (by Name, Day or Choice)
Your Orthodox patron saint is the saint whose name you were given at baptism. Here is how to find yours by name, by the day of your birth or baptism, or by choice, and how to keep the name day.
- Find another name