Saint Christina of Tyre

Christina was born into a wealthy and prominent pagan family; her father Urban was a military commander and governor of Tyre. Because of her striking beauty, many young men desired to marry her, but her father resolved instead to make her a pagan priestess. He shut her away in an upper chamber or tower, surrounded by costly gold and silver idols and attended by servants, so that she would be devoted entirely to the worship of the false gods. In this solitude, however, Christina began to reflect on the vanity of idols and to seek the one true God, preparing her heart—without formal schooling—for the Gospel she was soon to hear.

While confined in the tower, Christina was visited by an angel of the Lord, who taught her the Christian faith, revealed Christ as the true Bridegroom of her soul, and foretold her coming sufferings. Enlightened by this heavenly instruction, she broke the idols in her chamber and threw their fragments out the window, confessing that she now belonged to Christ alone. When Urban discovered this, he was enraged and tried by promises, threats, and savage tortures to force his daughter to sacrifice to the gods, but she remained immovable in her confession of the Holy Trinity. Her steadfast witness, miracles worked through her, and the courage with which she endured torment led many onlookers to believe in Christ, even as governors in succession continued to torture her.

Saint Christina’s “later life” on earth was spent almost entirely in the arena of martyrdom. After the death of her father, new pagan officials took up the persecution with fresh cruelty, subjecting her to being torn with iron hooks, burned with fire, cast into a blazing furnace and into the sea, exposed to poisonous serpents, and shot with arrows—yet she was repeatedly preserved by divine power. At last she was condemned to beheading, and thus entered joyfully into the heavenly Kingdom. The fame of her suffering and the miracles surrounding her martyrdom spread quickly, and she was venerated as a saint in Tyre and beyond by the fourth century, as evidenced by early Christian burial and liturgical traditions. Over time, the Orthodox Church came to honor her with the title Great-Martyr, and her memory has been celebrated on July 24 for many centuries.

Saint Christina of Tyre stands among a small group of women in the Byzantine tradition—such as Saints Catherine, Barbara, Euphemia, Irene, and Paraskevi—who are revered as Great-Martyrs for their fearless confession of Christ. Her story has inspired faithful across both the Eastern and Western Churches, and churches have been dedicated to her in various lands, including modern Orthodox parishes that bear her name. She is remembered as a patron and intercessor for young people, for those tempted to compromise their faith, and for all who must bear witness to Christ amid hostility. Her life shows that even a hidden, seemingly powerless girl can become a mighty herald of the Gospel when she gives her heart wholly to the Lord.

‍