Category:Relics of Stephen (subject)

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According to Christian traditions, Relics of Stephen are (or were) preserved in several locations, notably, the Church of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls in Rome [Italy], the Church of Saint Stephen in Venice [Italy] and the Church of the Holy Trinity of St. Sergius Lavra at Sergiyev Posad [Russia].

Overview

According to the Acts of Apostles, Stephen was the first Christian martyr, being stoned in Jerusalem around 36 CE; see Martyrdom of Stephen. Relics of Stephen include remains of his body, and places associated to his death and burial

The Body of Stephen

The Acts claim that the body of Stephen was buried by some (unnamed) "devout men"; see Burial of Stephen, which some later Christian traditions identified with Nicodemus and Gamaliel.

In 415 CE a certain priest named Lucian claimed to have learned by revelation that the remains of Stephen were in Caphar Gamala, some distance to Jerusalem, together with those of Nicodemus, Rabbi Gamaliel, and of one of his two sons, Abibos. The relics were then exhumed and carried first to the church of Mount Sion, then, in 460, to the basilica erected by Eudocia outside the Damascus Gate, on the spot where, according to tradition, the stoning had taken place.

During the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), the relics of Stephen were translated to Constantinople.

According to a tradition, (some) relics of Stephen reached Rome at the end of the 6th century where they have been venerated until today in the Church of St Lawrence outside the Walls, along with those of St Lawrence.

  • The basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le mura in Rome, Italy

  • The tombs of Lawrence and Stephen under the main altar

After the sack of Constantinople in 1204, relics of Stephen resurfaced and were venerated in many churches and sanctuaries across Europe.

A tradition locates the tomb of Stephen in the Church of St Stephen in Venice [Italy]. The whole right arm of Stephen is said to be preserved at the Holy Trinity of St. Sergius Lavra, established by St. Sergius of Radonezh in 1345, at Sergiyev Posad, Russia. Other relics are claimed to be in several other places, including Caorle,

  • The monastery of Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius Russia

  • The relics of Stephen's right arm.

Traditional Catholic account of the relics of St. Stephen

Dopo la morte per lapidazione il corpo si Santo Stefano, che era stato abbandonato alle bestie senza che, miracolosamente, alcuna di esse lo toccasse, fu sepolto poco lontano da Gerusalemme, in un luogo chiamato Caphargamala. Per quattrocento anni fu quindi dimenticato, a causa delle persecuzioni ai cristiani, della distruzione di Gerusalemme nell'anno 135 e per il fatto che il culto dei martiri non ebbe inizio prima del II secolo. Solo nel IV secolo, dopo la concessione della libertà di culto, un prete di nome Luciano ebbe la visione in sogno di un vecchio con barba bianca ed abiti liturgici, che si rivelò essere il dotto Gamaliele (che istruì san Paolo e che seppellì santo Stefano), il quale gli chiese di dare una degna sepoltura al corpo del suo amico e di altri santi, indicandogli il luogo esatto dove l'avrebbe trovato. Il ritrovamento dei corpi nel giardino di Caphargamala destò grande stupore nel mondo cristiano appena agli albori, e così si diffuse il culto di santo Stefano; il corpo fu seppellito nella chiesa di Sion a Gerusalemme, mentre alcune reliquie furono lasciate a Luciano.

Successivamente le reliquie furono traslate a Costantinopoli per poi approdare a Roma e in Italia, alla fine del VI secolo. Qui il corpo fu sepolto all'interno della tomba di san Lorenzo; il culto dei due diaconi martiri fu così legato in maniera stretta, e ne abbiamo una testimonianza anche nel Duomo di Caorle, nell'affresco dell'absidicola sinistra risalente al XIV secolo, ove i due santi sono raffigurati ai lati della Vergine col Bambino. Da Roma le reliquie del protomartire cristiano si diffusero in tutta Italia, approdando anche a Venezia nel XVIII secolo; era questo un periodo di grande fervore nella fede e bisogna dire che proliferarono molti falsi tanto che a Roma erano venerati addirittura tre reliquiari contenenti braccia di santo Stefano.

Le reliquie rimaste oggi sono quelle del corpo, conservato presso la chiesa di santo Stefano a Venezia, ed il cranio, conservato nel Duomo di Caorle, già cattedrale; alcuni frammenti ossei del cranio sono conservati a Putignano, in Puglia, ed altre reliquie del santo sono sparse ancora oggi per il mondo.

Places, Churches & Monuments dedicated to the memory of the Protomartyr Stephen

  • NOTE: Some Churches of St. Stephen are not dedicated to Stephen the Protomartyr but to either Pope Stephen I (3rd cent) or King Saint Stephen I of Hungary (10th cent.).

Albania

  • St. Stephen's Cathedral (Shkodër, Albania) -- Built in 1858-67, the Roman Catholic church is the cathedral of the city of Shkodër (Scutari) in northwestern Albania and one of the city's most important religious buildings.

Armenia

Australia

  • Cathedral of St Stephen (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) -- Construction of the gothic revival building started in 1863. The church serves as cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane and seat of its archbishop in Brisbane,

Austria

  • St. Stephen's Cathedral (Vienna, Austria) -- The mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna is the most important religious building in Vienna and one of the city's most recognizable symbols.

Francia

  • Cathédrale Saint-Étienne (Auxerre, France) -- The Gothic church was constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries, on the site of a Romanesque cathedral from the 11th century, whose crypt is found underneath the cathedral.
  • Cathédrale Saint-Étienne (Bourges, France) -- Construction of the Gothic Cathedral began in 1195 and was completed in 1230. The church is the seat of the Archbishop of Bourges and one of most important religious monuments of France.
  • Cathédrale Saint-Étienne (Metz, France) -- The Gothic church was constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries, on the site of previous chapels.

India

Iran

Israel

  • St. Stephen's Basilica (Jerusalem, Israel) -- The Dominican church was built in 1900 on a site that since the 5th cent. had been associated with Stephen's martyrdom.
  • The Lions' Gate (Jerusalem, Israel), one of the gates of the Old City, is known by Christians as the St. Stephen's Gate because it is believed that the first Christian martyr Stephen was stoned to death outside the wall here. See Martyrdom of Stephen.
  • Greek Orthodox Church of St Stephen (Jerusalem, Israel) -- Built in 1967, the monastery is located in the Kidron Valley outside the St. Stephen's Gate where according to a 13th cent. tradition Stephen was executed. See Martyrdom of Stephen.
  • St. Stephen's Church (Beit Jimal, Israel) -- The Salesian Church of St. Stephen was built in 1930 at Beit Jimal, a site associated with the Burial of Stephen. Inside the church, there are frescoes with stories of the Life of St. Stephen. Just outside the church stands a sculpture commemorating the martyrdom of St. Stephen contributed in 2000 by renowned Israeli artist Yigal Tomarkin.

Italy

  • Santo Stefano (Venice, Italy) -- The church claims to preserve some relics of the body of Stephen.

Russia

  • Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius (Sergiyev Posad, Russia) -- It is claimed that the whole right arm of St. Stephen is preserved at the Russian monastery.

United States

  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Cathedral (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) -- Construction of the neo-Romanesque building started in 1826. St. Stephen's became the diocesan cathedral on January 27, 1932.
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Pro-Cathedral (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) -- Construction of the neo-Romanesque building was completed in 1897-99. St. Stephen's is the Pro-Cathedral in the Diocese of Bethlehem.

External links

  • [ Wikipedia]
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