Saint Stylianos of Paphlagonia
Ascetic from Paphlagonia, honoured in popular tradition as the protector of children.
Biography
According to tradition Stylianos came from Adrianopolis in Paphlagonia and grew up in a wealthy family that taught him to see money as a means of helping the poor and the sick. After his parents died he distributed his inheritance and became an ascetic in the desert.
He lived among other ascetics in brotherly love and was known for calming troubled souls; people came from nearby towns to seek his guidance. He had a particular love for children, seeing in their innocence a model of virtue, and parents would bring their children to him for a blessing.
According to tradition, God granted him the gift of healing sick children and helping childless women conceive, which is why he is still honoured today as a protector of children.