February 26 + Saint Porphyrius of Gaza

Porphyrius came from a wealthy Greek family but, at the age of twenty five, became a hermit in the desert of Egypt. After five years in the Egyptian desert, he lived another five years in a cave near the Jordan.

The finely educated saint was afflicted with a serious malady of the legs, which drove him to leave his meditation spot in the Jordanian wilderness to go to Jerusalem and pray for healing.

In spite of his impaired health, he frequently visited the place of the Resurrection. During his time in Jerusalem, it is said that he went into a trance where he saw Jesus and came out of the trance to find himself healed.

Porphyrius distributed the wealth his family left him among the monasteries of Egypt and among the necessitous in and around Jerusalem. In 392 Porphyrius was ordained to the priesthood and the relic of the Holy Cross was entrusted to his care. Following the death of Gaza’s bishop in the year 395, Porphyrius was summoned to take the role to protect Christians there from pagan harassment.

Porphyrius holds a special place in Christians’ hearts, especially Palestinian ones, since he was the fighter of polytheistic religions that had followers all over Gaza and the Levant. In Gaza there were only three Christian churches, but there were a great many pagan temples and idols. With Porphyrius’ presence, the city saw the baptism of 237 men, 35 women, and 14 children.

Through good relations with the Roman Emperor and Empress, Porphyrius was granted an edict ordering the destruction of pagan temples in Gaza and the restoration of privileges to Christians. The emperor also gave Porphyrius money for the construction of a new church in Gaza, to be built on the site of the chief pagan temple. This church is what is known today to be The Church of Saint Porphyrius - the largest church in Gaza.