For another Saint Theodore, see: Theodore Stratelates or Saint Theodore (disambiguation). Saint Theodore Tiron () is one of the two recognized saints called Theodore who are venerated as warrior saints and Great Martyrs in the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern Orthodox Churches. The other saint of the same name is Theodore Stratelates, also known as Theodore of Heraclea, but this second St Theodore may never have had a separate existence. When the epithet is omitted, the reference is usually to St Theodore Tiron. He is also known as Theodore Tyron (, variously romanized Tyro[n], Tiro[n], Teron). Tīrō is a word from classical Latin meaning a "recently enlisted soldier or recruit". The Latin word was transliterated into Greek with various spellings (Τύρων, Τίρων, Τήρων or Τείρων). Life and martyrdom The veneration of St. Theodore is attested for the late 4th century, less than a century after his martyrdom, when Gregory of Nyssa preached an encomium in his honour at his sanctuary. It is not known if this sanctuary was located at Euchaita or at Amasea, but the existence of a church in Euchaita is ascertained from about 400. The year of his martyrdom is cited as 287 in the legenda aurea, but later tradition, including Butler (1759) has the year 306. The basic legend recounts that Theodore served in the Roman army at Amasea (the modern Amasya in Northern Turkey, about south of the Black Sea coast at Sinope and Amisus). Nilles (1896) argued that he was not called Tiro for being a recruit but because he served in the Cohors Tyronum. When he refused to join in pagan rites of worship, he was arrested, but then set free after a warning. However, he again protested paganism by setting fire to the temple of the Magna Mater (Cybele) at Amasea. He was then tortured, and as he still refused the pagan sacrifice was executed by burning. The emergence of Theodore Stratelates as a separate saint is attested from the late 9th century. The two Theodores were frequently depicted alongside one another in the later Byzantine period. Theodore Stratelates had a shrine at Euchaneia, but was said to have originally been from Euchaita. His "lives" are listed in Bibliotecha Hagiographica Graeca 1760–1773. St Theodore as dragon-slayer Iconography of the horseman with spear overcoming evil was widespread throughout the Christian period. Iconographic representations of St Theodore as dragon-slayer are dated to