Collection: St. Simone of Cyrene

As Jesus struggled to drag his cross through the streets of Jerusalem, the Roman soldiers guarding him feared he might not make it to Golgotha without help.  Midway through the city they conscripted a man from Libya who was simply standing at the edge of the street.  His name was Simon and he had traveled to Jerusalem from Cyrene for the Passover.  Besides his name and the names of his two sons, nothing else is recorded of him in the Gospels.

Cyrene was an important Libyan city with a large Jewish population.  It was a source of luxury goods for Jerusalem, as well as medicines and agricultural products.  Like many other Libyan Jews, Simon was probably in Jerusalem both to fulfill his religious duty and to engage in trade.  He was dressed to celebrate, not for grueling labor.

In this icon he wears clothing a merchant from North Africa might have worn in the first century.  Perhaps he was wearing fine clothes like these that day.  He has the face of a man haunted by the immensity of all he has seen.  His intimate experience of Jesus' passion and death changed his life forever.  Both he and his sons became Christians.

His feast day is December 1.