Epipodius (french: Épipode) and his companion Alexander (died 178) are venerated as

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

saints. Their feast day is 22 April, and Alexander is additionally commemorated on April 24 in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

. Epipodius was a native of

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

; Alexander was said to be a native of

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empire ...

, and a physician by profession. They were both martyred during the reign of

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...

Life

The earliest mention of Epipodius and Alexander is in a homily of St. Eucherius, about 440. Epipodius was born in Lyon and Alexander was a Greek, originally from Phrygia. Of distinguished birth, they were close friends since their childhood schooldays. Epipodius is said to have been a confirmed

celibate Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both, usually for religious reasons. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, th ...

bachelor, who devoted his time to Christian works. In the aftermath of the

Persecution in Lyon The persecution in Lyon in AD 177 was a legendary persecution of Christians in Lugdunum, Roman Gaul (present-day Lyon, France), during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161–180). As there is no coeval account of this persecution the earliest sour ...

in the summer of 177, Epipodius and Alexander, having been denounced as Christians, left the city and retired to a nearby village. There they found refuge in the house of a poor Christian widow situated north-west of the hill of

Fourvière Fourvière () is a district of Lyon, France, a hill immediately west of the old part of the town, rising from the river Saône. It is the site of the original Roman settlement of Lugdunum in 43 BC. The district contains many religious buildings ...

. They were betrayed to imperial authorities by a servant. Both men were subsequently imprisoned, tortured, and condemned. According to

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer. Biography Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died whe ...

, after enduring torture on the rack, Epipodius, the younger of the two, was beheaded. Alban Butler says that Alexander, after suffering an extended and brutal beating, was crucified and died almost immediately.Butler, Alban. "SS. Epipodius and Alexander, Martyrs at Lyons", ''The Lives of the Saints''. vol iv, 1866
/ref> Another account says that he died of the beatings and ill treatment in gaol.

Veneration

The Christians privately carried off their bodies, and buried them on a hill near the city; which place became famous afterwards for the great number of miracles, which were wrought there.Ruinart. ''Acta Martyrum'', 1859 ed., p. 119 The tomb was originally outside the walls of the city, but later enclosed within them. St. Gregory of Tours says, that in the sixth century, their bodies, lay deposited with that of St. Irenæus, in the Church of St. John, now called St. Irenæus, under the altar, where the relics of these two holy martyrs were found 1410. Epipodius is venerated as the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocacy, advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, ...

of bachelors, victims of betrayal, and victims of torture.

References

External links

Patron Saints: Epipodius

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epipodius And Alexander Saints from Roman Anatolia 2nd-century Christian martyrs 178 deaths People from Lugdunum 2nd-century Greek physicians Gallo-Roman saints Groups of Christian martyrs of the Roman era Year of birth unknown

Life

Veneration

See also

References

External links