Saint Teodor of Garna
Teodor of Garna | |
|---|---|
 A 15th century Visoclesian icon | |
| Apostle of the Great Wood | |
| Born | ca. 856 Arciluco, Amathia |
| Died | 921 Garna, Visoclesia |
| Venerated in | Old Brethren Episemialism Episemialist Church |
| Canonized | 1102 |
| Feast | 29 August |
| Patronage | Lumberjacks |
Saint Teodor of Garna (Visoclesian: Свети Теодор, Amathian: Sfântul Teodor al Garnei), also known as Teodor of Arcilico, (c.856 - 921) was a medieval Amathian priest and missionary amongst the Marolevs. Sent as part of a diplomatic mission by the Empire of Arciluco to the Principality of Garna, Teodor would see success in his evangelical mission and through his ministry the principality turned to Sotirianism. He is also attested with the creation of a literary alphabet for the Visoclesian language, though this is disputed.
Biography
Information surrounding his early life is rare. It is known that Teodor was born in a relatively well off family within the Empire of Arciluco, but that he grew up in the countryside. In "The Lives of the Blessed Saints" by Igor Ratzenkin, it is claimed that as a child he had visions of his future missions and it is this which led him to the church, however, there is no source claimed for this. Records from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Arciluco show that he entered the priesthood around 872 CE, which would place his birthday at roughly 856 CE.
Amongst the Marolevs
An astute student of languages, Teodor was drawn to Old Marolevic by way of curiosity and soon decided to turn his ministry towards the Marolevs, who were in the process of evangelisation. His training finished, Teodor spent four years in the lands of Great Vesimir preaching in rural areas on behalf of the church. While he saw local successes, the progress was slow and he returned to Arciluco disillusioned with his works. He would continue to write theological missives in Marolevic which were distributed to other missionaries, but did not leave Arciluco himself for ten years.
Garna
In 907, on account of his prowess in the Marolevic languages and reputation for his scholastic approach, Teodor was attached to the Arcilucan delegation to Garna, with his official purpose being to teach the Arcilucan language to its monarch, Prince Borislav. In this function, Teodor had unprecedented access to the Garnish monarch and would often teach religious lessons to the prince and his children. In 909, just two years into this posting, Prince Borislav was baptised into the Episemialist Church and took the name Vasil. Prince Vasil ordered the construction of the first church in Visoclesia, making Teodor its head. Teodor would occupy himself for the rest of his life at training local priests and translating many of the essential church texts to Visoclesian.
Legacy
Mount Teodor, the highest point in Visoclesia, bears his name, as do a large number of churches within Visoclesia. The most important of these is the Monastery of Saint Teodor, which was founded in his lifetime and is where he was buried.