HISTORY OF ST IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH
St. Ignatius of Antioch (Feast Day: December 20th) was a Bishop of Antioch and was martyred around AD 107. He was a disciple of the Holy Apostles Peter and John and it thus an Apostolic Father. Tradition says that when Christ said let the children come to Me, it was St. Ignatius that He sat on His lap. St. Ignatius is known for stressing the importance of clinging to your local Bishop. He prayed that he would be martyred and exhorted the Christians to pray likewise for him. Lions devoured him whole and it is said that when Christian came to take away his relics, that the prayer of Christ was inscribed on his heart.
DIRECTIONS
Note: Directions are taken from the post on Sts. Cyril and Methodius since these saints relics rest in the same Basilica.
St Ignatius of Antioch’s relics rest in Basilica di San Clemente in Rome.
The Basilica is between the Colosseum and the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
Once inside, head towards the altar. On the right side of the altar, you will see a Byzantine style icon with their images on it, and behind the icon in a gated area is their relics. The relics of St. Clement of Rome and St. Ignatius of Antioch are in this Church too near the altar. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed inside, so I could not take any photos of the relics nor the altar.
The Basilica itself is important because of the archeological made in its foundations. The main Church has an underground passage that leads to the original Basilica, which used to belong to a Roman nobleman before its conversion.
If you found this useful and are heading to Rom, you might want to check out this post to learn where to find the relics of St. Helen Equal to the Apostles.
Leave a Reply