Saint Apollinaris of Ravenna

Bishop and Martyr
(1st–2nd century)

Saint Apollinaris is venerated as the first bishop of Ravenna and as a martyr, and the tradition of the Church in northern Italy holds that he was a disciple of Saint Peter the Apostle himself. According to this tradition, Peter brought Apollinaris from Antioch to Rome and then sent him to Ravenna as its first bishop, making the Church of Ravenna an apostolic foundation in the fullest sense. Whether this precise connection with Peter is historical or legendary, Apollinaris was certainly one of the earliest and most important bishops of the Italian church, and his authority and holiness made Ravenna one of the great centres of Christian life in northern Italy.

He is said to have preached the Gospel with great courage in a city that was largely pagan, and to have suffered several times at the hands of pagan mobs who dragged him through the streets, beat him, and subjected him to various torments before he was expelled from the city or rescued by his followers. He returned each time to continue his work, and finally died from the wounds he had received, having shed his blood repeatedly in the service of the Gospel.

The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, built in the sixth century near Ravenna, and the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo within the city, are among the most magnificent early Christian churches in the world, their interiors covered with golden mosaics that remain among the masterpieces of Byzantine art. These buildings are witnesses to the extraordinary importance of the see of Ravenna in the early Church, and they honour the memory of its founding bishop with a splendour appropriate to his apostolic dignity. His feast is observed on July 23rd.