4 x 5 inches
Saint Theodore the Soldier (or "the Recruit," "the Tyro" or Theodore of Amasea) was a soldier and martyr in the early 4th century, enduring the persecutions of the emperors Maximian and Maximus. When it was discovered he was a Christian, a judge sentenced him to starvation. While in prison, the Lord appeared to Theodore and the prison was filled with brightly-shining angels. In terror, the guards took Saint Theodore out and threw him into a large fire. The martyr suffered in the year 306. His feast is celebrated on February 17.
During a period of persecution, in order to torment the Christians during Lent, the food in the marketplaces was sprinkled with the blood of animals sacrificed to idols, so they were not able to eat. As the Christians passed the first days of Lent without any food, they hungered and cried out to God for help. Saint Theodore appeared to a certain bishop and miraculously provided kollyva (boiled wheat) for the Christians to eat. This miracle has been commemorated on the first Saturday of Lent in the Orthodox Church ever since, and kollyva is offered on Saturdays during Lent in memory of the departed.