The mysterious “dog head” Saint Christopher. Martyr Christopher - the most unusual saint in Christianity (21 photos)

Among the large number of saints revered by Christians is the martyr Christopher, who is depicted on icons in a rather unusual image. This saint is traditionally depicted with the head of a dog or horse, however, he is quite rare and is practically unknown to Orthodox Christians.

ROGOZH SACRY Holy Martyr Christopher.
Vetka. End of the 18th century Wood, gesso, tempera. 44.9x37.6 cm. On the back there is an inscription in cinnabar: “To the house of Alexander Dimi/Triev Shyshkin.”
The martyr Christopher is represented with a dog-headed figure, waist-deep, turning to the left. On his left shoulder is a thin red spear, which he holds with his left hand, his right hand is raised with two fingers. Human eyes look at the viewer, brown hair falls in long curls over the shoulders. The armor, the cloak clasp and the spear tip are gold, with a niello pattern on the same gold sheet, which also covers the saint’s halo, the background and the margins of the icon. The personal letter is executed using the usual sankir technique: a lighter reddish ocher is placed on a light brown base, followed by highlights. As a result, a dark skin color is conveyed. The master manages to give the animal’s mask a blissful, touching and trusting expression. In the design of fabrics there is a noticeable dependence on the style of Baroque and Rococo. On the cloak, the pattern and shading of the folds are brown-crimson, the final highlights are made using a gold-white technique. At the top of the middle there is the inscription: “S(Y)THY MU(SCHILNIK) CHRISTOPHOR.”
The coloring of the icon is based on a combination of the crimson tone of the cloak with the blue tone of the saint’s shirt and with the brown tone of the personal one. Dense yellow gold serves to unite them and create conventional depth. The master's work with color, techniques for modeling the form, as well as the color and rhythm of the stripes that frame the centerpiece and the entire icon are characteristic of Vetka icon painting of the late 18th century. // V.M. Forty.

Rare shot
At the entrance to the Intercession Church there is another practically unknown icon with the image of St. Christopher.

The Holy Martyr Christopher is depicted among the martyrs

The last compelling argument for organizing the study was a letter from a reader of the Starove website:

“Good evening! Today I was in the store of church utensils and icons “Sofrino” of the Russian Orthodox Church MP. I wanted to order an image of the martyr Christopher of ancient writing (with a dog’s head). They told me: “The image is not canonical. It was prohibited by the Holy Synod in the 18th century. Not everything that is on the Internet, right. The true image is this..." (and they show me on their computer the martyr Christopher in the image of a man carrying the Divine Infant on his shoulders). I answer: "The Council of 1971 abolished all oaths to the old rituals, canons, icons and lifted anathemas from the Old Believers. A similar spelling of Christopher is still used in many local Orthodox Churches." They answer me: “This is none of our business. The confessor of the plant forbade the production. What you want is blasphemy. We don’t know where and how you will make such If you order an icon, who will make it for you, but only we have the true image.”
Just like that... It was not the oaths that became “as if they had not been”, but the resolutions of the Council of 1971 and all subsequent Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church. We are talking about the store of the art and production enterprise “Sofrino” of the Russian Orthodox Church MP. There are two branded stores in Moscow: 1) on Kropotkinskaya (central); 2) in Sokolniki (on the territory of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ), where I tried to place an order."

Nikon-Petrovsky “new items” in action: the “corrected” image of St. Martyr Christopher on top of an ancient fresco in Yaroslavl

This note is based on the scientific research of S.K. Chernova – leading specialist of the Cherepovets Museum Association.
In Cherepovets there is also an image of St. Martyr Christopher Pseglavets, dating back to the 17th century, but this is not the only place where people became interested in the history of the unusual image. Blogger carabaas shares the story of the appearance of the image of St. Martyr Christopher with a dog's head from the collection of icons of the Rostov Museum:
This icon was originally located in the Rostov Museum, and got there by order of the New Believer Archbishop Jonathan (with whose blessing the museum itself was created in 1883). The background to the appearance of the icon was described in the Diocesan Gazette as follows:
“When reviewing the diocesan churches in August 1880, His Eminence in the church of the village “Bogorodskoye in Oseka” saw, among other things, an icon of the martyr Christopher, the size of a man, with the head of an animal, namely a dog. The Bishop noticed all the indecency in the temple of such an icon and ordered it to be taken out of the temple”...
Christopher is a holy martyr, revered by the Orthodox and Catholic churches, who, according to legend, lived in the 3rd century AD. The life of Saint Christopher, which was distributed in Cyprus and later in Rus', says that the saint was very handsome, but in order to avoid temptation, he begged the Lord to disfigure his appearance. Modern theologians, as well as Rogozhsky old-timers, adhere to this version, emphasizing the original ordinariness of the saint and at the same time “making peace with the mythologized Russian image of the saint that has taken root over the centuries.” (quote from the Encyclopedia “Myths of the Peoples of the World”. M., 1982. T. 2, P. 604).

Examples of traditional images of St. much Christopher

Eastern tradition of venerating St. martyr Christopher

The legend of the Eastern tradition says (see: Lives of the Saints, in Russian. P. 290; Menaion - May. Part 1, P. 363) that during the reign of Emperor Decius Trajan, a man named Reprev was captured during battle with tribes in eastern Egypt. He was a man of enormous stature, cynocephalic (that is, with a dog’s head), like all representatives of his tribe.
Even before baptism, Reprev confessed faith in Christ and denounced those who persecuted Christians. Emperor Decius sent 200 soldiers for him. Reprev obeyed without resistance. Miracles happened along the way: the rod blossomed in the saint’s hand, and through his prayer the loaves multiplied, just as the Savior multiplied the loaves in the desert.

Saint Christopher. Greek icon. Constantinople

The soldiers accompanying Reprev were amazed by the miracles, believed in Christ and, together with Reprev, were baptized by the Bishop of Antioch, Vavila. After baptism, Reprev received the name “Christopher”. When Christopher was brought to the emperor, he called two female harlots and ordered them to persuade the saint to renounce Christ, but the women, returning to the emperor, declared themselves Christians, for which they were subjected to cruel torture and died as martyrs. Decius sentenced Christopher to execution, and after cruel torture the martyr's head was glassed. (see: Lives of the Saints, in Russian. P. 290). One of the miracles of the martyr was that he remained unharmed after the emperor ordered him to be placed in a red-hot copper box.

Saint Christopher. Greek icon. 18 century

In Antioch, the memory of the martyr began to be venerated not immediately after his death, but some time later, so that even his real name was forgotten and was replaced by the honorary title Christophoros. This is quite understandable, since the saint was not a member of the local Church, but was a foreigner who served in a special cohort of the Roman army in Syria. Moreover, Christopher was baptized not by the bishop of Antioch, but by the exiled Alexandrian presbyter Peter, who, after the execution, bought the body of the saint and sent it home. In the art of Byzantium, there were several options for depicting the martyr, which were formed in the early era. The most common image is of a young man dressed in patrician robes (frescoes of Dečan and the Church of St. Clement in Ohrid) or in military armor. The latter option is represented by the paintings of the Old Church (Tokali Kilisse in Goreme, Turkey, X - XI centuries), in the mosaics of the Hosios Loukas Monastery (second quarter of the XI century). In Rus', the image of St. Christopher as a young warrior was preserved in the deacon arch of the Church of St. George in Staraya Ladoga (last quarter of the 12th century).

Saint Christopher. Greek icon

Icon from the Yegoryevsk History and Art Museum

Saints Christopher and George slaying snakes. Terracotta. Vinika. Macedonia. 6-7 centuries

Saint Christopher and the Yaroslavl Wonderworkers. Russian icon. 18 century. State Historical Museum

Saint Christopher. Icon. XVIII century State Museum of the History of Religion, St. Petersburg

A modern image of St. Christopher, created under the influence of Catholic legends

Old Believer hagiography icon of St. Christopher

Saint Christopher with a wolf's head. Popular picture

Later versions of the writing of the chapter of St. Martyr Christopher in Rus'

Saints Florus, Laurus and Christopher. Perm icon.1888

Modern icon of St. Christopher Pseglavets

In Russia, the veneration of Saint Christopher is not so widespread, and on the icons sold in the church shops of the Russian Orthodox Church MP one can only find an image of the Saint in human form with the Divine Child on his shoulders. The image of Christopher Cynocephalus is revered unchanged only among the Old Believer Church and remains only on those rare icons and church paintings that the New Believers did not have time to “moderate.”

Decorate yourself with clothes from the blood, stand before the Lord, the King of hosts, Christopher of ever-memorable: from there, with the incorporeal and the martyrs, eat the trisagion and terrible sweet singing: with the same prayers save your flock.

The life of the saint tells us that Saint Christopher, before baptism, had the name Reprev (Ρεπρεβος - rejected, condemned).

During the reign of Emperor Decius Trajan, a man named Reprev was captured by the Romans during a battle in Marmarica. Later he served in the Roman cohort of Cohors - a division of the Marmarites - people from the Marmarica region or representatives of the Berber tribe.

According to another, rather late, legend, which became widespread in Cyprus, the saint from birth had a beautiful appearance, which attracted women. Wanting to avoid temptations and the women who constantly bothered him, he prayed that the Lord would give him an ugly appearance, after which he would become like a dog.

The memory of Saint Christopher and the other holy martyrs who suffered with him is celebrated in Cyparissia - a locality in Constantinople - on the day of his death, close to the day of the death of the Holy Great Martyr George. In accordance with the acts of the martyr, the day of his death is assigned by all the most ancient calendars, eastern and western, to April 23.

The relics and the head of the saint, kept for some time in Constantinople, were then transported to the island of Rab in Croatia. When the Normans invaded the island and besieged the city of Rab, the townspeople placed the relics of Christopher on the walls. Miraculously, the wind changed and the ships were blown away from the island. One of the large medieval fortresses in Rab is named after St. Christopher.

Iconography of Saint Christopher in Orthodoxy

The oldest similar image of the saint is on a ceramic icon of the 6th-7th centuries of Macedonian origin. On it, Christopher, together with Saint George, slays the serpent.

The oldest image of the saint is in the monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai and dates back to the time of Emperor Justinian (527-565).

It is known that Saint Demetrius of Rostov spoke out against bestial images of St. Christopher. In the middle of the 18th century, in the Rostov diocese, the clergy, including Metropolitan Anthony (Matseevich), also advocated for the correction of icons of the saint and for the creation of new ones “according to the proper one with a human head... so that instead of Christopher the Pesius the head would not be venerated, but rather written against the Great Martyr Demetrius” . In response to the Metropolitan’s petition to ban the icons of Cynocephalus, a special case was opened at the Synod, but it did not receive further development.

After the ban, Christopher is depicted anthropomorphically, in the image of a warrior. There are known transcribed images with a dog's head recorded. In some cases, the icons of St. Christopher were actually corrected. Thus, in the painting of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Yaroslavl, the dog’s head of the saint depicted on the pillar was replaced by a human one. Traces of the existence of the former image of the saint can still be seen: the outline of a dog’s face is visible on the halo.

The Old Believers continued (and still continue) to venerate Christopher Cynocephalus, and the ban on the “dominant church” only confirmed and strengthened this veneration. The Sviyazhsk icon painting tradition depicts Christopher not with a dog’s head, but with a horse’s head. It should be noted that in later Russian monuments the saint is depicted not with a dog’s head, but with a head more like a horse’s.

Since the 18th century, Christopher has been depicted only in the form of a man. However, in museum collections there are icons of the saint with the head of a dog not only from the 18th, but also from the 19th century.

In Orthodoxy, there is also a version of the iconography of Christopher, similar to the Western one: Saint Christopher is depicted at the moment of crossing the river, in the form of a giant, with the Infant Christ on his shoulders.

Life and iconography of St. Christopher in Catholicism

One day a little boy asked him to carry him across the river. In the middle of the river, he felt an unbearable weight, as if holding the whole world. It turned out that the giant carried not only the world, but also the One who created it: Christ Himself appeared to Christopher in the form of a child. Christopher was afraid that they would both drown. The boy told him that he is Christ and carries with him all the burdens of the world. Then Jesus baptized Reprev in the river, and he received his new name - Christopher, “carrying Christ.”

Then the Child told Christopher that he could stick a branch into the ground. This branch miraculously grew into a fruitful tree. This miracle converted many to faith. Angered by this, the local ruler (or even the Roman emperor Decius - in Western tradition he goes by the name Dagnus), imprisoned Christopher, where after much torment he suffered a martyr's death.

This subject was painted by Dirk Bouts, Hieronymus Bosch, Memling, Conrad Witz, Ghirlandaio, and engraved by Durer and Cranach.

Coins with the face of St. Christopher were minted in Würzburg, Württemberg and the Czech Republic. Statues of Christopher were often placed at the entrances to churches and residential buildings, and often on bridges. They were often accompanied by the inscription: “Whoever looks at the image of St. Christopher today will not be in danger of sudden fainting and falling.” In the Cologne Cathedral there is a statue of St. Christopher, which, according to popular belief, protects those who look at it from sudden death.

In 1969, in light of the reformatory decrees of the Second Vatican Council, the feast day of St. Christopher, along with the feast days of some other common Christian saints, was removed by the Vatican from the universal Catholic calendar. However, the holiday remained in the local calendars of Catholic countries.

Since in the Orthodox life of St. Christopher we do not find any mention of the fact that Christopher was a ferryman across the river and the appearance of the Infant Christ to him, we can assume that in the eastern and western versions of the life of St. Christopher we are talking about two completely different saints.

Catholic images of St. Christopher refers to a very narrow period of time: it is approximately one century, from 1430 to 1530. The most famous images are by leading artists of the Pagan Renaissance in Germany, Flemish and Italy.

Around the same time, the most famous Christopher in the world was born - the great navigator Christopher Columbus (in the Spanish version, Cristobal Colon), who lived from 1451 to 1506. Like St. Christopher carries the infant Christ across the river, just as Columbus brings the Catholic mission to the New World across the Atlantic Ocean, which was only a cover for the colonization, robbery and physical destruction of the indigenous population of America. On the contrary, Eastern Orthodox images of St. Christopher are found over a very long period of time and are presented in different iconographic styles: if the earliest images of the saint date back to the 6th-7th centuries, then the later ones are painted even today with a dog’s head. Many of these icons date back to the 19th century.

Therefore, the modern Orthodox icons of St. placed below. Christphorus, carrying the Infant Christ on his shoulders, do not correspond to the ancient Eastern tradition of depicting this saint.

Among other Orthodox saints, the martyr Christopher stands out due to the unusual feature attributed to him by tradition. It was believed that, being body like a man, he had the head of a dog. According to one legend, Christopher had a dog's head from birth, as he came from the country of cynocephali - people with dog heads. The Canaanites were sometimes identified with the Cynocephalians, since the consonant word “Caninei” comes from the Latin canis - dog. When the future saint was baptized, he acquired a human form. According to another, rather late, legend, which became widespread in Cyprus, the saint from birth had a beautiful appearance, which attracted women. Wanting to avoid temptations, he prayed that the Lord would give him an ugly appearance, after which he would become like a dog.

The Synaxarium of Constantinople indicates that the dog-headed appearance of the saint and his origin from the country of Cynocephali and Anthropophagi (cannibals) should be understood symbolically, as a state of rudeness and ferocity during his stay as a pagan. The Synaxarion of St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain does not say anything about the bestial appearance of Christopher, it only says that he had an ugly face.

The tradition of depicting Christopher as a tall man with a Child in Western medieval sculpture, book miniatures, as well as painting of later times is stable. This is exactly how the saint was portrayed by Hieronymus Bosch, K. Witz, Albrecht Durer and other artists.

In the art of Byzantium, there were several variants of the image of the martyr, which were formed already in the early era. The most common image is of a young man dressed in patrician clothes (as in the frescoes of Dečan and the Church of St. Clement in Ohrid) or in military armor. The latter version is represented by the paintings of the Old Church (Tokali Kilisse; Cappadocia, 913–920), the first layer of the Church of Agios Stefanos (10th century), the Church of the Holy Doctors in Kastoria (late 12th century) and in the mosaics of the monastery of Hosios Loukas (second quarter XI century). In Rus', the image of St. Christopher as a young warrior was preserved in the deacon arch of the Church of St. George in Staraya Ladoga (last quarter of the 12th century).

Despite the fact that in the Iconographic Original of the 16th century, the Novgorod edition, it is said about Saint Christopher that he is depicted “like Dmitry, a bakan robe, with a green underside,” that is, in the image of a young warrior, in Russian art of the second half of the 16th century and in the 17th century Icons of St. Christopher with a dog's head became widespread. Earlier examples have not reached us, although they apparently existed: the first mentions of the saint’s days of remembrance are found in month books of the 11th–12th centuries. Perhaps the saint was revered as a protector against infectious diseases and epidemics. Thus, in Veliky Novgorod in 1533, a church was built in the name of St. Christopher precisely during the pestilence. In Moscow, one of the epidemics, which stopped in 1572, was also accompanied by the construction of a church in the Kremlin in the name of this saint. Unfortunately, no specific information has been preserved either about the temple itself or about its interior decoration.

The types of Russian icons on which the Holy Dog-head is depicted are different. The State Historical Museum houses the Menaion of 1597 for the month of May, where Saint Christopher with his mouth open and tongue protruding is presented in the bottom row of saints, next to Saint Nicholas. In the State Tretyakov Gallery there is the northern door of the iconostasis of the second half of the 16th century from the Trinity Church in the village of Krivoy, (Arkhangelsk region), in the Cherepovets Art Museum there is a door to the altar of the second half of the 17th century. These monumental full-length images differ in character from the more intimate, smaller prayer icons of the saint, which were apparently painted for a private client. One of these icons is from the mid-17th century from the former collection of P.I. Shchukin (now in the State Historical Museum) - has burns in the lower part from a candle placed in front of it. The saint in military robes and a flowing scarlet cloak stands in prayer to the Savior Emmanuel, depicted in the upper left corner in the sky segment. Among other icons of the martyr, this image stands out not only for its iconography, but also for its special mood. Christopher is presented not as a frightening and ugly dog-head, but first of all as an intercessor before the Lord, fervently praying for the human race.

One of the icons of a small Deesis tier, created for a home iconostasis (now in the State Historical Museum), dates back to the second half of the 17th century. This image of Saint Christopher differs from all those above: the martyr is shown as a beautiful young man holding a dog's head on a platter in his right hand. In his left hand the saint holds a cross.

Images of St. Christopher Cynocephalus are also found in monumental painting - in the paintings of the Church of the Assumption in Sviyazhsk (16th century), the Transfiguration Cathedral (1563–1564) and the Church of St. Nicholas the Mokroy in Yaroslavl (1673). In addition, the martyr is often represented in works of facial embroidery associated with orders from the eminent Stroganov family.

The history of veneration of the saint in the 18th century is full of contradictions. On the one hand, throughout the entire century, the question of the inadmissibility of his images with the head of a dog was repeatedly raised, on the other hand, such icons continued to appear and exist.

In 1707, in response to the order of Peter I on compliance with the icon-painting rules that were adopted at the Great Moscow Council of 1667, the Synod developed a resolution banning icons “contrary to nature, history and truth.” These included images of the holy dog-head. However, the Senate did not support the decisions of the Synod, recommending not to take unambiguous measures regarding those images that have enjoyed widespread popular veneration for many years.

Apparently, decisions regarding images of the saint were made at the discretion of the local church authorities. Thus, the Moscow Consistory punished the priest of the Varvara Church, who allowed the image of Christopher with a dog's head in the temple. It is known that similar images were sold in icon-painting rows and shops in Moscow.

In some cases, the icons of St. Christopher were actually corrected. In the painting of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Yaroslavl, the dog head of the saint depicted on the pillar was replaced by a human one. Traces of the existence of the former image of the saint can still be seen: on the right side of the halo the outline of a dog’s face is visible.

In museum collections there are icons of the saint with the head of a dog not only from the 18th, but also from the 19th century. Among the notable images of the 18th century is the icon of the holy martyrs Sophia, Vera, Nadezhda, Love and St. Christopher standing before the Savior Emmanuel (State Historical Museum). Obviously, it depicts the heavenly patrons of the family members of the person who ordered the prayer image.

The study of iconography and the history of the veneration of St. Christopher reveals new aspects of Russian religious life of the 17th–19th centuries.

Maksimov E.N. The image of Christopher Cynocephalus: An experience of comparative mythological research // Ancient East: To the 75th anniversary of academician M.A. Korostovtseva. M., 1975. Sat. 1. P. 82.

Sarabyanov V.D. Church of St. George in Staraya Ladoga. M., 2002. pp. 182–183.

For more information on this look, see: Balabanov K., Krstevski C. Kerimachka icon from Vinitsa. Beograd, 1991.

Quote By: Snigireva E.A. The image of St. Christopher: Tradition and reality // Problems of formation and study of the museum collection of the State Museum of the History of Religion. L., 1990. P. 53.

Loseva O.V. Russian monthly books of the 11th–14th centuries. M., 2001. P. 335, 355. priest. Animals in church painting // About church painting. Sat. Art. St. Petersburg, 1998. P. 234

22 / 05 / 2007

“One repentant sinner is worth more than a hundred righteous people”
Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, verse 7, “The Parable of the Lost Sheep.”

The depiction of Christopher on icons “with the head of a dog”, as well as some other “controversial” iconographic subjects - all this was prohibited by the decision of the Synod of 1722, as “contrary to nature, history and the truth itself.” Since then, Christopher has been depicted as anthropomorphic, most often as a mighty warrior. The Church, opposed to anything that rapidly breaks the mold, continued the repression of this great martyr, and in 1969 the official Vatican demoted Christopher's Day to the level of locally revered holidays. But no one decanonized Christopher, and therefore today he remains an official Christian saint.

The image of a dog's head could have arisen for several reasons. So, the least probable, but still valid version is that Christopher really was a cynocephalus. It’s hard to believe in this today, but who knows what was going on there two thousand years ago? Another, more likely version is the excessive impressionability of medieval interpreters of ancient myths, who literally took information about the animal nature of Christopher, which, at the turn of the era, was attributed by Roman storytellers to all representatives of barbarian tribes.

There is a possibility that the person who became the prototype of Christopher suffered from a rare type of genetic mutation, now called hypertrichosis universalis or werewolf syndrome, as a result of which the human body is almost completely covered with thick hair, including the face. Perhaps the Christian saint had a nickname, interpreted by his followers as a characteristic of his appearance. The mystery of such exotic iconography of Christopher Cynocephalus remains unsolved. But the very image of the saint, the description of his deeds, and even the situation that led the savage to Christianity - all this is as unusual as it is wonderful.

Reprev was baptized by Jesus himself. The barbarian at that time helped people ford a fast mountain river, carrying them on his back. One day, a little boy asked him to help him cross the river. Reprev took the child on his back and tried to carry him, but in the middle of the river the child suddenly began to become very heavy. The boy told him that he was Christ and carried with him all the burdens of the world. Then he baptized Reprev in the river, and he received his new name - Christopher, “carrying Christ.” In iconography, this image of Christopher was fixed - a giant with a baby on his shoulders at the moment of crossing the river.

Today, Saint Christopher is considered primarily the guardian of travelers. His image is loved and respected by pilots, drivers and sailors. A medallion with the name of the saint inscribed “Si en San Cristóbal confías, de accidente no morirás” (If you believe in St. Christopher, you will not die in an accident) is considered an excellent amulet on any journey.

The dog-headed Christian saint Christopher, according to legend, was able to perform miracles, like Christ, and his faith was so strong that the harlots sent to seduce the spirit of the righteous returned to their vile employers as Christians. As a result, desperate to break Christopher, Emperor Decius Trajan ordered his beheading. Christopher Psoglavets left behind only a legend and an image - the image of the most unusual of Christian saints.

Why is Saint Christopher depicted with a dog's head?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

The martyr Christopher is highly revered in both the east and the west, especially in Spain. In Europe, people resort to his prayer help during epidemics. Archbishop Sergius (Spassky) writes that the Greeks have a belief: “whoever sees the icon of Christopher will not die on that day suddenly or from any adventure; therefore, since ancient times, his icon has been placed at the entrances to churches, so that those entering can see it” (Complete Monthlies of the East, vol. III, May 9).

The holy martyr was baptized by the Bishop of Antioch, Hieromartyr Babyla, who gave him the name Christopher (Greek: Christos - Christ, phoros - bearer). Before that, he had the name Reprev. He suffered during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius (249 - 251) in 250. He was subjected to terrible and sophisticated torture, but the Lord miraculously saved him. After many tortures, he was killed with a sword. Memorial Day – May 9/22.

The appearance of icons in which he is depicted with a dog's head is associated with legendary ideas about the people from which he came. Some believed that St. Christopher was a Canaanite by birth. Others traced his kinship to the canineans (Latin canis - dog) or cynocephali (dog-headed). In the Slavic Prologue, the version about the dog-headed appearance of Reprev is rejected. This did not stop some icon painters from depicting the saint with a dog’s head. This also penetrated into Russian iconography. In the regional museum "Rostov Kremlin" there is a large image of St. Christopher from the first half of the 17th century. The icon arrived there in 1893 from the Church of the Assumption in the village of Bogorodskoye, Yaroslavl province. The martyr is depicted full-length in military attire. He holds a cross in his right hand, and his left hand rests on a sheathed sword. The dog's head is raised. To the right and left of the halo there is an explanatory text: “Beleta 248 in the kingdom of Decei before baptism, his name was Reprev, who came from the heads of dogs from the lands of man-eating people, having the head of dogs with the rank of a warrior in many torments in a robe, unmarried, convicted and died with the sword for Christ.” There is an opinion according to which, St. Christopher was extraordinarily handsome. He asked God to relieve him of this burden. As a result, he developed a dog's head. This story has no credibility.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov (1651 – 1709) opposed the image of the saint with a dog’s head. Saint-Confessor Arseny (Matsievich; 1697 - 1772), being Metropolitan of Rostov, forbade having icons of St. Christopher with a dog's head in churches. He ordered all the icons of St. Christopher rewritten with a human head.

St. Martyr Christopher helps to get rid of demonic captivity. Rev. Theodore Sikeot (+ 613) sent demoniac patients for healing to a nunnery, which had a church in honor of St. Martyr Christopher. One day Rev. Theodore led the demon-possessed youth to this monastery. Along the way, St. appeared. Christopher exorcised the demon from the possessed man.