St. JanuariusFew facts are known about St. Januarius. It is thought that he was Bishop of Beneventum and that he suffered martyrdom around 305, during the persecution of Diocletian. What is remarkable about this saint is that the dried matter in a glass phial, supposedly some of his blood, liquefies on certain days of the year. This phial is kept in a church in Naples and is brought out on certain feasts for the faithful to venerate during a special ceremony. The miraculous liquefaction of the blood has occurred publicly for over six hundred years. Tests which can be done without opening the phial have been performed on this relic, but no conclusions have been arrived at. The intercession of St. Januarius is credited with saving the area around Naples from an eruption of Mount Vesuvius. |