Our Father among the Saints Artemon, Bishop of Seleucia in Pisidia
Life
Artemon was a bishop of the apostolic age, remembered as the first bishop of Seleucia in Pisidia, a city of Asia Minor. According to tradition, he was born and lived in that city, and was ordained by the Apostle Paul during Paul's missionary travels through the region. He is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on March 24.
The tradition presents Artemon as a man already distinguished by piety and virtue before his ordination, whom the Apostle judged the most worthy member of the local community to serve as its bishop. As shepherd of Seleucia he is remembered for the diligent care of his flock and for his charity toward the poor and oppressed, the widowed and the orphaned. The synaxarion accounts describe him living to a great old age before his repose.
Contributions & Legacy
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First Bishop of Seleucia
The accounts of Artemon's life are brief and belong to the apostolic period. By tradition the Apostle Paul, preaching in the region of Pisidia, came to Seleucia and there established Artemon as bishop, shepherd, and teacher of the city. The sources connect this choice to Artemon's reputation for faith and virtue rather than to any prior office, presenting him as the most worthy candidate among the local faithful.
As bishop Artemon is remembered for pastoral diligence and for works of mercy. The synaxarion tradition describes him as a comforter of the poor and oppressed and as a refuge for those in need, with particular care for widows and orphans, and characterizes his ministry to both the spiritual and bodily needs of his people. He is said to have shepherded his flock well throughout his tenure and to have departed in great old age.
Identity in Later Records
Later sources note that Artemon of Seleucia was at times confused with other figures bearing similar names, including a Menignus, with such conflations appearing in records of the eighteenth century. The Orthodox synaxarion tradition nonetheless preserves his commemoration as the first bishop of Seleucia in Pisidia on March 24.
