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Saint Babylas of Antioch

18th century fresco of the martyrdom of Saint Babylas of Antioch, artist unknown; swiped from Wikimedia Commons Also known as

Babila
Babilas

Memorial

24 January in the Latin Church
23 January (Ambrosian Rite)
4 September in the Greek Church

Profile

Bishop of Antioch in 240. In 244 he refused entrance to liturgical services to emperor Philip the Arabian, due to the emperor having murdered his predecessor; he ordered him to take his place among the penitents by the church door, which the emperor did. During the persecutions of Decius, Babylas made an unwavering confession of faith in public; he was thrown into prison. Martyr.

Died

of abuse and mistreatment in prisons c.260
Babylas buried in his chains to symbolize his love and loyalty to God
Caesar Gallus built a church at Daphne near Antioch in honor of Babylas, and his relics enshrined there
Julian the Apostate consulted an oracle of Apollo near the shrine Babylas; when he received no answer, Julian blamed it on the proximity of the saint, and had the relics returned to their original burial site
relics taken to Cremona, Italy in the middle ages