Saint Christopher is listed as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd century Roman emperor Decius (reigned 249–251). In Catholicism he is considered the patron saint of travellers.

One legend states that Christopher was a Roman of imposing stature, originally named Reprobus. According to legend, Reprobus—referred to as a giant by those who knew him—converted to Christianity and vowed to serve Jesus Christ. Other sources say his name was Offero, and that he was born in Canaan.  He sought out a Christian hermit to inquire as to how he could better serve Jesus. The hermit directed him to a path with a dangerous crossing point at a swift river, and suggested that the man's great size and strength made him a good candidate to assist people in crossing the river. Reprobus began ferrying people across the river on his back.

One day, a small child approached the river and asked to be carried across. Reprobus began to comply, only to discover that the small boy was far heavier than any other passenger he had taken. The child revealed that he was in fact Jesus Christ, and that his unusual weight was due to the fact that he bore the sins of the world. The boy (Jesus) then baptized Reprobus in the river, and he acquired his new name, Christopher, which is Greek for "Christ-carrier" (from Christos, "Christ", and pherein, meaning "to bear").

The child then told Christopher to plant his staff in the ground. The staff miraculously bloomed into a fruit-bearing tree. This miracle converted many. Enraged at these conversions, a local king (or by some accounts, the emperor Decius) had Christopher imprisoned, where, after cruel tortures, he was beheaded as a martyr.