Saint Felix of Nola (d. January 14,
255-Events:* Ma Jun, a Chinese mechanical engineer from Cao Wei, invents the South Pointing Chariot, a path-finding directional compass vehicle that uses a differential gear, not magnetics.-Deaths:* Guo Huai, general of the Kingdom of Wei...
) was a
PriestThe ministerial orders of the Catholic Church includes the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
martyredA Christian martyr is one who is killed for following Christianity, through stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake or other forms of torture and capital punishment. The word "martyr" comes from the Greek word which means "witness."...
for the Faith following the general persecution instigated by the Emperor
DeciusGaius Messius Quintus Decius was the Emperor of Rome from 249 to 251. In the last year of his reign, he co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus until both of them were killed in the Battle of Abrittus.-Early life and rise to power:...
.
Life
Felix was the elder son of Hermias, a
SyrianThis article is about the demographic features of the population of Syria, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
soldier who had retired to
NolaNola is a city of Campania, Italy, in the province of Naples, situated in the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is served by the Circumvesuviana railway from Naples.-Ancient era:...
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
. After his father's death, Felix sold off most of his property and possessions, gave the proceeds to the poor, and pursued a clerical vocation. Felix was ordained by, and worked with, Saint Maximus of Nola.
When Maximus fled to the mountains to escape the persecution of
DeciusGaius Messius Quintus Decius was the Emperor of Rome from 249 to 251. In the last year of his reign, he co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus until both of them were killed in the Battle of Abrittus.-Early life and rise to power:...
, Felix was arrested and beaten for his faith instead. He escaped prison, according to legend being freed by an angel so he could help his sick bishop, Maximus. Felix found Maximus alone, ill, and helpless, and hid him from soldiers in a vacant building. When the two were safely inside, a spider quickly spun a web over the door, fooling the imperial forces into thinking it was long abandoned, and they left without finding the Christians. A subsequent attempt to arrest Felix followed, which he avoided by hiding in a ruined building where a spider's web spun across the entrance convinced the soldiers the building was abandoned. The two managed to hide from authorities until the persecution ended with the death of Emperor Decius in 251.
After Maximus' death, the people wanted Felix to be the next
bishop of NolaThe Diocese of Nola is a Roman Catholic diocese in Italy, with its seat in the ancient city Nola. The diocese is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Naples....
, but declined, favoring Quintus, a "senior" priest who had seven days more experience than Felix. Felix himself continued as a priest. He also continued to farm his remaining land, and gave most of the proceeds to people even poorer than himself. Much of the little information we have about Felix came from the letters and poetry of Saint Paulinus of Nola (feast day: June 22), who served at the door of a church dedicated to Saint Felix, and who gathered information about him from churchmen and pilgrims.
St Felix died a
martyrA Christian martyr is one who is killed for following Christianity, through stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake or other forms of torture and capital punishment. The word "martyr" comes from the Greek word which means "witness."...
in the year
255-Events:* Ma Jun, a Chinese mechanical engineer from Cao Wei, invents the South Pointing Chariot, a path-finding directional compass vehicle that uses a differential gear, not magnetics.-Deaths:* Guo Huai, general of the Kingdom of Wei...
during the reign of Emperor
ValerianValerian may refer to:In botany:* Valeriana, a genus of plants* Valerian , a medicinal plant* Red valerian, a garden flower, Centranthus ruber people:* Valerian , Roman emperor 253-260* Valerian II, son of Gallienus Valerian may refer to:In botany:* Valeriana, a genus of plants* Valerian (herb), a...
.
Feast Day
At the time a new church in Nola was dedicated in the name of St Felix. People travelled from far away to see the burial place of this revered
saintSaints, individuals of exceptional holiness, are significant in many religions, particularly Christianity.-General characteristics :Though the term is mostly used for Christians considered holy or virtuous, many religions use similar concepts to elevate people worthy of respect, e.g. see Hindu...
. The feast day of
"St Felix, Priest and Martyr" is
commemoratedIn the Tridentine Mass period of the Roman Rite, when a higher-ranked liturgical celebration impeded the celebration of a lesser that, either permanently or by coincidence, fell on the same day, the prayer of the lower-ranked celebration was usually added to that of the higher...
on January 14.
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