Biography
Achillius of Larissa
About Achillius of Larissa
Achillius is remembered as a bishop of Larissa. The received account places his origins in Cappadocia and describes an education in the philosophy of his time. After his parents’ deaths, it says, he distributed his property to the poor and traveled to Palestine and Rome before undertaking Christian preaching.
The same account describes his selection as bishop by Larissa’s clergy and people and credits him with establishing a hospital and a home for older people. It also attributes to him the destruction of pagan temples and their replacement with Christian buildings. These episodes belong to the traditional narrative rather than independently verified contemporary records.
Orthodox liturgical tradition remembers him among the fathers at the Council of Nicaea. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s reading places his death around the middle of the fourth century. This differs from the approximate year 330 given in the Norwegian Catholic biography; an exact death year is therefore uncertain.
His later veneration is connected with both Larissa and Prespa. An account published by the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong describes Samuel’s transfer of the relics to Prespa and the building of a basilica there at the end of the tenth century. It records their return to Larissa on 14 May 1981, where they were received by Archbishop Seraphim and other clergy.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese’s service for 15 May 2026 commemorates Achillios as Metropolitan of Larissa. The Catholic Church in Norway’s biography likewise gives 15 May as his commemoration.
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