THE FOUR EVANGELISTS:
The relics of the four evangelists are located in Italy and Turkey. The relics of the authors of the synoptic Gospels are all found in Italy. St. John’s relics are supposed to be in Ephesus.
ST MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST
St. Matthew the Evangelist (Feast Day: November 16th) is the author of the Gospel according to Matthew and is one of the twelve Apostles. St. Matthew wrote the Gospel in Hebrew and an unknown person translated into Greek. He traveled to Ethiopia to spread the Gospel and died a martyr’s death.
Location of relics: Salerno Cathedral in Salerno, Italy.
ST MARK THE EVANGELIST
St. Mark the Evangelist (Feast Day: April 25th) is the author of the Gospel of Mark and is one of the 70 Apostles. St. Mark was the first of the four evangelists to write a Gospel. He was the first Bishop of the Church in Alexandria. St. Mark was known for his ascetic nature and accompanied St. Paul and St. Barnabas on their journeys. St. Mark’s relics are in Venice, but in 1968, the Pope of Rome returned one relic to the Church in Egypt.
Location of relics: Venice, Italy. Click HERE to learn more.
ST LUKE THE EVANGELIST
St. Luke (Feast day: October 18th and others) was one of the 70 Apostles (Luke 10). He is the author of the Gospel according to Luke. St. Luke was a physician and the first iconographer.
The relics of St. Luke have an interesting history. Crusaders stole the relics and brought them to the Church of St. Justina in Padua (near Venice). Over time, people forgot about the relics. The Greeks had record of where they were and in 1992 Metropolitan Ieronymus requested St. Luke’s relics for his Church. The clergy at St. Justina didn’t believe the relics of such a notable Saint could be in their Church. The clergy conducted an investigation and the relics were found.
Location of relics: Padua, Italy. Click HERE to learn more.
ST JOHN THE THEOLOGIAN
St. John the Apostle and Evangelist (Feast day: May 8th and others) was one of the 12 Apostles. He is the last of the four evangelists to write one of the Gospels. In some traditions it says that St. John died in great old age near Ephesus. In other traditions, as recorded in The Lives of Saints by St. Dmitry of Rostov, St. John asked his disciples to bury him alive. The disciples felt guilty, so they dug up his body, but it was no where to be found. Every year, on May 8th, dust comes from his grave and the sick are healed.
Location of relics: near Ephesus in the remains of the Basilica of St. John.
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