St Apollinaris, the First Bishop of Ravenna

Perhaps you have already heard about St Apollinaris, the first Bishop of Ravenna. His name is mentioned in the Roman Martyrology as one of the early martyrs of the Catholic Church. According to one legend, he was one of the 72 disciples who followed Christ. But so far, we have not found any documentary proof validating this legend. It is believed that he was born in Antioch in ancient Syria, which falls in modern-day Turkey. Catholic tradition has it that he was a disciple of St Peter who appointed him the first Bishop of Ravenna. Throughout his tenure as Bishop, he would endure relentless persecution until the final day of his martyrdom.

Achieving Martyrdom

At that time, Christianity was still a banned religion throughout the Roman Empire. Things became tough for Apollinaris, who had dedicated his life to evangelisation. Stories abound about his inspirational preaching and the miracles he performed which gained many converts to the faith. This would soon bring him to the attention of the Pagan persecutors who captured and tortured him severely and left him to die on the seashore. However, he would be discovered there by his fellow Christians and they would nurture him back to health.

Once he regained his health, he would continue his mission of evangelisation only to be captured and tortured again. This time they made him walk on burning coals before they expelled him. But these hardships would not stop a very determined Apollinaris. The third time, his captors once again tortured him and then threw him into a dungeon, where they expected him to starve to death. They would later decide to expel him once again by sending him to Greece.

However, St Apollinaris would return to Ravenna for the last time after about three years in 79 AD. Here, once again, his work of evangelisation would be interrupted when he was captured by the pagans and tortured. His injuries were much more severe this time around. After suffering for about seven days, he finally achieved martyrdom. He is one of the early Christian martyrs in Church history and his name is included in the Roman Martyrology, the official list of martyrology of the Church.

To know more about the other saints of the Catholic church, we recommend you read Saints for Every Day by Fr Antony Netikat CM.