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The saints

St. Christopher

The giant who carried a child across a river, and found he was carrying the world’s Maker.

Feast: 25 July (date from the Roman Martyrology; not on the universal calendar) · probably 3rd century · The early Church · Asia Minor (by tradition)

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Painting of St. Christopher in a red cloak wading across a river with the Christ Child on his shoulders.

Konrad Witz, 1435. Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Home / The saints / St. Christopher

A river crossing, in the old legend

Almost nothing certain is known about Christopher, except that he was a martyr venerated East and West.1

The legend says he was a huge man who wanted to serve only the strongest master.1

A hermit told him to serve Christ by carrying travelers across a dangerous river.

Patron of travelers, sailors and gardeners1; bookbinders1; invoked against storms1

01St. Christopher

The child on his shoulders

One night he carried a small child who grew heavier and heavier, until Christopher could barely reach the far bank.1

The child said he had been carrying the whole world and the One who made it.1

His name means Christ-bearer, and he became the patron of travelers.1

Live it this week

Carry someone for a while

Christopher’s job was carrying people across. This week, give someone a ride they need (to a doctor, to Mass, to work) and pray for them on the way.

Notes

How we know · 1 source for this page
  1. Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. Christopher”. New Advent edition. newadvent.org

The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) is in the public domain; we quote the New Advent edition. Texts of the Holy See are quoted briefly from vatican.va. Scripture: World English Bible, Catholic edition (public domain); Verse numbers are modern, with Douay-Rheims numbers in brackets where they differ. Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, credited under each image; full list on the photo credits page.

Lines in the narrator’s voice, without a note, are our reflection, not a historical claim. Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words; our wording is not an official Church text. Report an errorCorrections.