Fanouria: Name Day and Patron Saint

Nothing certain is known of Saint Phanourios’ life or the time in which he lived. His story begins with a revelation: when the Turks were repairing the walls of Rhodes, workers uncovered a ruined church, and among the broken icons lay one of a young soldier-martyr, bright as if newly painted. Bishop Nilus read the name “Saint Phanourios,” and the twelve scenes around the icon showed his tortures by stones, hooks, fire and wild beasts, and his victory over demons. The saint is depicted holding a cross topped with a burning candle, because he reveals what is hidden, and his name recalls the Greek word for “reveal.” Orthodox Christians, above all Greeks, pray to Saint Phanourios when something is lost, from keys and documents to animals, a job or the right husband. Thankful households bake the Phanouropita, a simple spiced cake, and share it with neighbors, asking God to forgive the saint’s mother.

What the faithful pray for

• the finding of lost or stolen things
• the finding of lost or stolen animals
• the revealing of a good husband for unmarried women
• light on hidden matters and the right path
• the forgiveness of his mother’s sins (prayed with the Phanouropita)
• healing of headaches (in some regions)

Protection

• flocks from theft and loss
• households from losing what they need
• young women from a bad marriage
• the anxious from distress over what has been lost

Miracles

• When the Turks were rebuilding the walls of Rhodes, workers found a ruined church where, among damaged icons, one of Saint Phanourios looked as if it had been painted that very day; its twelve scenes revealed him as a martyr. (source)
• Cretan shepherds prayed to him for lost goats and stolen animals, and from Crete his fame as the revealer of lost things spread across Greece. (source)

Read the life of St Phanourios