The Forbidden Icon of the Saint with a Dog's Head Saint Christopher of Lycia lived in the 3rd century AD. According to one legend, he was so handsome that he asked the Lord to disfigure him to avoid temptations, as many women sought his favor. According to another legend, he was as fierce as a beast before converting to Christianity, which is why he became dog-headed. In Russia, from as early as the 16th century, Saint Christopher was depicted with a dog's head, much like the Egyptian god Anubis. However, in 1722, the Holy Synod banned such icons as "contrary to nature, history, and truth." The Moscow Council of 1667 had already forbidden depicting him with an animal head. Christopher began to be portrayed as a man, and icons with a dog's head were generally destroyed. Nevertheless, a few examples have survived to this day. The Old Believers continued to venerate Christopher the Dog-headed. The Church commemorates St. Christopher the Martyr. Legends about St. Christopher in Western interpretations differ greatly from those familiar to us. One of them states that Christopher was a Roman of great height, originally named Reprobus. Reprobus sought the mightiest ruler to serve. He entered the service of a king but learned that the king feared the devil. The giant Reprobus found a holy hermit and asked him how he could serve Christ. The hermit took him to a dangerous ford across a river and said that his great height and strength made him an excellent candidate to help people cross the dangerous water. He began to carry travelers on his back. One day, he was asked to carry a small boy across the river. In the middle of the river, the boy became so heavy that Christopher feared they would both drown. But the boy told him that he was Christ and was carrying the burdens of the world. Then Jesus baptized Reprobus in the river, giving him a new name — Christopher, "the Christ-bearer." The Child then told Christopher that he could plant a branch in the ground, which miraculously grew into a fruit-bearing tree. This miracle converted many to the faith. Angered by this, the local ruler (known as Dagnus in the Western tradition) imprisoned Christopher, who after much suffering, achieved a martyr's end. In the vestry of the Intercession Cathedral in Rogozhskaya Sloboda, there is an amazing icon of Saint Christopher the Martyr, traditionally depicted with the head of a dog or horse. The image of the saint is so interesting, multifaceted, and at the same time unusual, that it invariably raises many questions about its origin. This icon has been included in the illustrated encyclopedia "Antiquities and Spiritual Treasures of the Old Believers" as one of the gems of the Rogozhsky vestry.