Saint Januarius: Martyrdom, Miracles, and Prayers
“I can attest that the miracle of Saint Januarius is no hoax. The priests are acting in good faith.”
Montesquieu
Saint Januarius was bishop of Benevento in the third century. He died a martyr along with his companions during the persecutions under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Saint Januarius of Benevento is particularly known for his holiness and for the miracle of his relics, which occurs every year. He is celebrated on September 19 and is one of the patron saints of the city of Naples.
Biography of Saint Januarius of Benevento
Saint Januarius is believed to have been born in the second half of the 3rd century, around 270, likely in Naples, within the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, sources are not more specific on this point. He is said to have been a descendant of an ancient Roman patrician family. However, nothing is known about his childhood and adolescence. We simply know that he was ordained a priest and appointed bishop of Benevento in 302.
Around 303 or 304, during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian, two of Saint Januarius’ deacons were arrested, along with two nobles, and thrown into the prisons of Cumae (a city located 12 km west of Naples) by Dragonce (proconsul of Campania). Fortunately, in 305, Emperor Constantius succeeded Diocletian, with Galerius succeeding Maximian. Dragonce was then recalled to Rome and replaced by Timothy, and all the Christians imprisoned in Cumae were released. Upon hearing this wonderful news,Saint Januarius left his diocese to celebrate the liberation of his deacons. They all gathered near Pozzuoli, where the bishop celebrated Mass. Unfortunately, at the very same moment, outside the church, a decree by Diocletian—which Timothy had reinstated—was being read aloud.
At the end of the Mass, Januarius miraculously healed a paralyzed woman and gave her two flasks used during the celebration of the Eucharist. Then, with his companions, he went to Nola in a procession resembling a triumphal march. But upon arriving in Nola, he encountered Timothy, who interrogated him. At the end of the interrogation, Saint Januarius was sentenced to death: he was to be burned alive. But, by a miracle, he emerged unscathed from the pyre. He was then flogged until he bled and thrown into prison with all his other companions. The seven men were later taken to the amphitheater in Pozzuoli to be thrown to the lions, tigers, and hyenas. However, the wild beasts, though starving, lay quietly at their feet, without touching them. Enraged, Timothy was overcome by a fit of rage and lost his sight. Saint Januarius immediately restored it to him. Witnessing this new miracle, the approximately five thousand spectators present immediately asked to be baptized by the holy man. Timothy, feeling not a shred of gratitude toward Saint Januarius and deeply annoyed by the people’s conversion, then ordered that Januarius and his two deacons be beheaded. He left the amphitheater and returned to his palace in Nola.
The two deacons and Saint Januarius were thus beheaded on September 19, 305, by order of Timothy and under a decree issued by Diocletian. The executioner had also cut off one of Saint Januarius’s fingers, in addition to his head.
The following night, the paralyzed woman whom Saint Januarius had saved some time earlier came to pay her respects near the bishop’s remains and collected his blood in the two vials he had given her. She took the vials home with her to Naples.
A man from Pozzuoli, to whom Januarius had restored his sight, came to retrieve the head, body, and finger of the future saint and placed them in a chest, which he took to Naples. The body was later transferred to the Catacombs of Saint Januarius, also in Naples, in the 5th century.
The Miracle of Saint Januarius’ Blood
The legend of Saint Januarius tells that in Antignano (in Naples), on the Saturday before May 1, during the transfer of the saint’s body to his catacomb, the dried blood in the vials belonging to the paralyzed woman liquefied when the body came near.
This phenomenon recurred and was first documented in Naples on August 17, 1389. On that day, the liquefaction occurred without the vials being brought near the remains. Since then, the miracle has occurred almost every year, particularly during ceremonies organized specifically in Naples.
Today, this miracle is celebrated three times a year:
- On the Saturday preceding the first Sunday in May, the anniversary of the transfer of the saint’s remains
- On September 19, the anniversary of his martyrdom.
- On December 16, the anniversary of the 1631 eruption of Vesuvius, which claimed 4,000 lives but completely spared Naples.
During the miracle, the blood liquefies and increases in volume.
A Short Prayer for Saint Januarius and His Companions
“O God, who gladdens us on the annual feast of Your holy Martyrs Januarius and his companions; grant, in Your mercy, that our piety may be kindled by the examples of those whose merits fill us with joy. Amen”
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