Martyr 7th century

Martyr Sozon of Cyprus

7th century

A martyr of Cyprus whose relics are kept at the monasteries of Machairas and Chrysorrogiatissa (7th c.)

Feast Day

September 7

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Commemorated as

Holy Martyr Sozon of Cyprus

Life

Sozon of Cyprus is a local martyr of Paphos venerated in the Cypriot Orthodox tradition. According to the surviving account, he was a young shepherd from the medieval settlement of Plakoundi, near the village of Asprogia in the Paphos district, who was killed during Saracen raids on the island in the seventh century.

He is remembered as a child-martyr who, fleeing the invaders, took refuge in a cave together with other children; the attackers set the cave ablaze and all within perished. The site is still known as the cave of Saint Sozon. His relics are kept at the monasteries of Machairas and Chrysorrogiatissa, and he is commemorated on September 7.

Sozon of Cyprus shares his name and feast day with the better-known Martyr Sozon of Cilicia, a shepherd martyred under Maximian around the year 304; the Cypriot tradition treats him as a distinct local saint, though he is not noted in the wider synaxaria.

Timeline 4 moments Read Hide

7th century Saracen raids on Cyprus Sozon, a young shepherd of Plakoundi near Asprogia in Paphos, flees Saracen raiders.
7th century Martyrdom in the cave He hides with other children in a cave; the attackers set it ablaze and all are killed.
Later Veneration A church is built opposite the cave over his relics; his remains are venerated as miracle-working.
September 7 Feast day He is commemorated annually in the Cypriot tradition, sharing the date with Sozon of Cilicia.

Contributions & Legacy

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Life and martyrdom

The fullest account of Sozon comes from the Cypriot tradition, in which he is described as a local saint of Paphos passed over by the general synaxaria. He is presented as a young shepherd of the medieval settlement of Plakoundi, near Asprogia.

During Saracen incursions against Cyprus in the seventh century, Sozon is said to have fled the raiders and hidden in a cave where other children had taken shelter. The attackers set fire to the cave, and all those inside were killed. He is remembered as a child-martyr.

Sources and veneration

The episode is associated with the medieval Cypriot chronicler Leontios Machairas, who records the saint's memory. A church was later built opposite the cave, where the martyr's bones were kept and held to be miracle-working; ruins of a church of Saint Sozon survive near Asprogia.

Relics of the saint are preserved at the monasteries of Machairas and Chrysorrogiatissa, the latter of which also keeps his icon. His feast is observed on September 7.

The homonymous Martyr Sozon of Cilicia

The same name and feast day belong to the Martyr Sozon of Cilicia, an early-fourth-century shepherd of Lykaonia (baptismal name Tarasios) who, according to his passion, shattered the hand of a golden idol at Pompeiopolis and was tortured to death under the governor Maximian around 304. His relics became a center of healing, and he is honored as a patron of the Greek island of Limnos.

The Cypriot tradition distinguishes its own Sozon from this earlier Cilician martyr while sharing the September 7 commemoration. The anchor record identifies the Cyprus martyr of the seventh century, whose relics rest in the Cypriot monasteries.

Sources: Synaxarion