Januarius
Saint Januarius | |
|---|---|
Copy taken from a portrait of Saint Januarius by Caravaggio | |
| Bishop and Martyr | |
| Born | 3rd century (c. 21 April 232) Benevento or Naples, Campania, Roman Empire |
| Died | c. 19 September 305 Pozzuoli, Campania |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Major shrine | Naples Cathedral, Italy and the Church of the Most Precious Blood, Little Italy, Manhattan, New York City. |
| Feast | 19 September, Feast of San Gennaro (Catholic Church) 21 April (Eastern Christianity) Monday after second Sunday of Advent (Armenian Apostolic Church) |
| Attributes | vials of blood, palms, Mount Vesuvius |
| Patronage | blood banks; Naples; volcanic eruptions |
Januarius (/ˌdʒæn.juˈɛəriəs/ JAN-yoo-AIR-ee-əs; Latin: Ianuarius; Neapolitan and Italian: Gennaro), also known as Januarius I of Benevento, was Bishop of Benevento and is a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Armenian Apostolic Church. While no contemporary sources on his life are preserved, later sources and legends claim that he died during the Great Persecution, which ended with Diocletian's retirement in 305.
Januarius is the patron saint of Naples, where the faithful gather three times a year in Naples Cathedral to witness the liquefaction of what is claimed to be a sample of his blood kept in a sealed glass ampoule.