Source: Mystagogy Resource Center
January 28, 2025
Saint Philon was born in Karpasia, Cyprus, in the 4th century AD and was the spiritual child of Saint Epiphanios, Archbishop of Constantia, Cyprus, who, appreciating his many gifts, ordained him Bishop of Karpasia. In fact, he esteemed him so much that, when he needed to be absent, he appointed him as his replacement on the Archbishopric throne. For example, when he traveled to Rome in 382 AD for ecclesiastical matters and later in Constantinople in 401 AD, shortly before his death, he assigned him the administration of the Archbishopric and, moreover, with the right to ordain Clergy.
The Karpasia region is the peninsula located at the northeastern tip of Cyprus, in which valuable Sacred Temples dedicated to the memory of Saint Philon were built at times, with characteristic frescoes, which, unfortunately, were removed after the Turkish invasion of 1974, and the Sacred Temples remain looted and abandoned.
We obtain information about the life and conduct of Saint Philon from the Synaxaria, his Service and the life of Saint Epiphanios, where we see that “with his ardent zeal he attracted to the Church many unbelievers and those who had fallen into error,” and that “he was a holy man,” “educated,” who “searched the depths of wisdom,” “a cleric from among those who orate on the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures.” According to the historian Souda, he wrote memoirs on the Pentateuch and the Song of Songs. Furthermore, his writing is also mentioned by the historians Leontios Machairas and Stefano Lusignan. Saint Philon had the special blessing of being under the guidance of Saint Epiphanios, and this is very important, because on the one hand he had proper guidance, and on the other hand he had a model of a holy Bishop in his episcopal ministry. He reposed in peace.
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