Tomorrow is a great celebration for Orthodoxy, since on October 26 the Great Martyr Demetrius, also known as Myrovlitis, is commemorated.
In most of the agraffiti Saint Demetrius is depicted as a mounted horseman. However, few people know the symbolism of this image
• First, the armor is a symbol of the spiritual armor, the “armor of God” (Eph 6:10-18), which every believer is called to face the attacks of the enemy the devil. The saints succeeded in using the weapons of the Spirit, which is why many of them – including Saint Demetrius – are depicted armed.
• Then, with the longing of the people, who sought and received help from the saint in various difficult circumstances, armed Demetrius with military armor, because they feel him as their strong protector. Riding his red horse, he runs every time to help those who call on him, especially his fellow Thessalonians.
• When Thessaloniki is surrounded by enemies, the saint protects it.
• He saves her from the raids of the barbarians.
• He stops the storms that disturb his sea.
• When strong earthquakes threaten to destroy the city to its foundations, the “co-saint” holds and stabilizes the world.
And when heresies and heresies threaten to shake the Orthodox faith, he supports it.
But if we adhere to this symbol, which shows Demetrius mounted on a horse to expel the conqueror, because he wished he had strengthened Nestor to overthrow Lyaios, we do him a cruel injustice. We declare that he is a national hero. However, he is not a hero. He is a saint, a great martyr of Christ, a branch of divine grace.
With information from the book “The Catechist of Thessaloniki”