| Honorific Prefix: | Saint |
| Chrysolius | |
| Death Date: | ~300 AD |
| Feast Day: | 7 February |
| Venerated In: | Roman Catholic Church |
| Birth Place: | Armenia |
| Death Place: | Belgium |
| Titles: | Martyr |
Saint Chrysolius (French: Chrysole, Chryseuil) the Armenian is the patron saint of Komen/Comines, today in Belgium and France;[1] his relics were venerated in the basilica of St Donatian, Bruges.[2]
According to tradition, he was a native Armenian who fled to Rome during the persecution of Christians by Diocletian, was received by Pope Marcellus I and sent to northeast Gaul, where he evangelized at Verlengehem.[1] According to his legend, he then became a spiritual student of Saint Denis and was sent with Saint Piatus to evangelize the area of Cambrai and Tournai.[3] Chrysolius then became a bishop[4] [5] and was subsequently stopped by Roman soldiers and condemned to be decapitated; the top of his skull was sliced off.[3] According to his legend, the piece of his skull broke into three smaller pieces, and where each piece fell, a miraculous spring gushed out.[3] Chrysolius, after recovering the top of his cranium, walked to Komen and died there, after crossing the ford at the river Deûle that now bears his name.[3]
The waters of the springs where pieces of his head are said to have fallen were believed to cure ailments of the throat and eyes.[3]
The rosette in the façade of the church of Saint-Vaast at Wambrechies depicts Chrysolius, along with saints Hubert, Benedict, and Bernard.[3]
The church of Saint-Chrysole was rebuilt in neo-Byzantine style between 1922 and 1929, after its predecessor was destroyed in World War I.