The Righteous Tarasius the Wonderworker, of Lycaonia
Life
Tarasius of Liconium is an Orthodox saint of Asia Minor, commemorated by the Church on March 9. He is ranked among the Righteous and is given the epithet 'the Wonderworker.' Beyond his name, his standing as a righteous one, and his association with Lycaonia (Latinized as 'Liconium'), little of his life has been preserved in the surviving sources.
Lycaonia was a region of central Asia Minor, in what is now south-central Turkey. The synaxarion and modern liturgical calendars record Tarasius's commemoration there without supplying dates for his birth or repose, an era, or a narrative of his life. The Orthodox Church in America's entry for him states plainly that no biographical information is available, and the Wikipedia and OrthodoxWiki calendars for March 9 likewise name him only with his epithet and region.
Contributions & Legacy
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A Saint Remembered by Name
Tarasius belongs to the large company of saints whose veneration the Church has carefully preserved in its calendar even though the details of their earthly lives have not survived. He appears on March 9 alongside other commemorations of the day, named as 'Righteous Tarasius the Wonderworker, of Lycaonia.' The epithet 'Wonderworker' indicates that he was remembered in his region for miraculous intercession, though no specific accounts of his wonders are recorded in the available sources.
The liturgical texts appointed for his feast use the conventional formulas of a righteous saint rather than facts particular to his biography, and so cannot be read as a record of the specific events of his life. His memory is kept chiefly through his name, his honorable rank, and his connection to Lycaonia in Asia Minor.
