Saint Peter the Wonderworker or the Thaumaturge ( el, Άγιος Πέτρος ο Θαυματουργός, la, Petrus Thaumaturgus), also known as Saint Peter of Argos (Άγιος Πέτρος του Άργους) is a Christian

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

, regarded as the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece ** Ancient Argos, the ancient city * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses ...

. He was born in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, to a well-to-do family noted for its piety and

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. In his family there were five brothers, all of them holding a great affinity for Christianity and who together with their parents helped the poor. From them, Peter heard a calling to the monastic life.

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

Nicholas I Mysticus wished to make him the

Bishop of Corinth The Metropolis of Corinth, Sicyon, Zemenon, Tarsos and Polyphengos ( el, Ιερά Μητρόπολις Κορίνθου, Σικυώνος, Ζεμενού, Ταρσού και Πολυφέγγους) is a metropolitan see of the Church of Greece in ...

, but he demurred in favor of his brother, Paul, as he wished to remain a monk. Later, however, Peter became Bishop of Argos and Nauplion after the local bishop died, where he was credited with great holiness and his efforts to organize famine relief in times of

crop failure Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

, the

ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...

of captives, and healing the sick. The supplies of food that he dedicated to famine relief never ran out, which won him a reputation as a

thaumaturge Thaumaturgy is the purported capability of a magician to work magic or other paranormal events or a saint to perform miracles. It is sometimes translated into English as wonderworking. A practitioner of thaumaturgy is a "thaumaturge", "thauma ...

. In 920, he took his place at a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

in Constantinople called by Nicholas Mysticus concerning the emperor

Constantine Porphyrogenitus Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Kar ...

. He was a noted scholar and his work appears in the ''

Patrologia Graeca The ''Patrologia Graeca'' (or ''Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Graeca'') is an edited collection of writings by the Christian Church Fathers and various secular writers, in the Greek language. It consists of 161 volumes produced in 1857– ...

.Great Synaxaristes :
Ὁ Ἅγιος Πέτρος Ἐπίσκοπος Ἄργους
'' 3 Μαΐου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ. He died at Argos and was buried in the Church of the

Dormition The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of ...

there. His reputation for miracles continued, as his face appeared to be Transfiguration during his funeral, and his body was held to have exuded the "

Oil of Saints The Oil of Saints, also known as the Manna of the Saints, is "an aromatic liquid with healing properties" or "holy water (very much like myrrh)" which "is said to have flowed, or still flows, from the relics or burial places" of certain Christian s ...

". Later, his remains were moved to

Nafplio Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...

, and afterwards taken abroad by the occupying Venetians under the auspices of the Latin bishop, the Venetian Segundo Nani. In Saint Peter's honor, a cathedral was built in Argos, which was founded in 1859 by Bishop Gerasimos Pagonis and was inaugurated on April 18, 1865.Father George Sellis, «Άγιος Πέτρος Επίσκοπος Άργους Σημειοφόρος και Θαυματουργός», Publication of the Cathedral of St. Peter, Argos 2008 After a lengthy search, his relics were located at a monastery near

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

; they were returned to Argos in 2008 and now reside in St. Peter's Church.

References

External links

Catholic News article on the return of the relics
10th-century Byzantine people 10th-century Christian saints Saints of medieval Greece People from Constantinople {{saint-stub