Alexander of Comana
bishop of Comana in Pontus(died c. 251)
Feast: 11 August (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Alexander, called 'the charcoal-burner', had taken up charcoal-burning out of humility to escape worldly honour; his 'philosophy' was his preference for heavenly things.
When St Gregory the Wonderworker came to Comana in Pontus to choose a bishop and rejected every candidate, someone mockingly suggested Alexander the charcoal-burner; Gregory discovered his virtues, and Alexander became Bishop of Comana.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A humble charcoal-burner whose hidden holiness made him a bishop.
Connected on this site
- Gregory Thaumaturgus Saint“Gregory Thaumaturgus had been asked to come to Comana to help select a bishop for that place.” — Wikipedia
- Gregory of Nyssa Saint“Gregory of Nyssa, on the life of St.” — Wikipedia
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Alexander of Comana
- Wikidata Q2916248 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Alexander of Comana (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.