Saint Cyriacus of Iconium
Also known as
- Cyr
- Cyricus
- Quiriac
- Quirico
- Quiricus
- 16 June
- 15 July (Synaxarium of Constantinople)
Profile
Son of Saint Julitta. When Cyriacus was a small child, his mother was sentenced to death at Tarsus during the persecutions of Diocletian. Cyriacus made a childish attack on Alexander, the sentencing magistrate, and announced that he was a Christian like his mother. The angry magistrate threw the child to the ground, smashing his skull and killing him instantly.
Some scholars claim that the entire story is fiction, and there is no question that earlier writers hugely embellished this popular and frequently retold story.
Blessed Charlemagne dreamed he was saved from death by a wild boar during a hunt by the appearance of a child who promised to save if Charlemagne would clothe him. The bishop of Nevers explained that the child was Cyriacus, and that he wanted the emperor to repair the roof of Saint Cyr’s cathedral. This led to the Cyriacus’ representation as a naked child riding a wild boar.
Born
- c.301
- c.304 at Tarsus by having his skull crushed
- relics enshrined at Nevers, France, and in the monastery of Saint-Amand in Tournai, France
- child being thrown to the ground or down a set of steps by a judge
- child thrown to the ground with a fountain springing from his blood
- holding Saint Julitta by the hand
- naked child sitting on a wild boar
MLA Citation
- “Saint Cyriacus of Iconium“. CatholicSaints.Info. 16 December 2022. Web. 19 April 2024. <>