Saint polycarp of smyrna biography

The holy, glorious and right-victorious Hieromartyr Polycarp of Smyrna was a bishop and martyr of the early Church [1] and is regarded as one of the three chief Apostolic Fathers.

What is st polycarp the patron saint of

According to The Martyrdom of Polycarp , he died, bound and burned at the stake then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him, in Smyrna the seat of his episcopacy and modern day Izmir in Turkey , and he was also reported to be a disciple of the Apostle John. His feast day in the Church is February There are two chief sources of information concerning the life of Polycarp.

The first is known as the Martyrdom of Polycarp , [3] and the second source is St. Irenaeus of Lyons ' Adversus Haereses. Polycarp was a correspondent of St. Ignatius of Antioch , one of the other Apostolic Fathers. Ignatius addressed a letter to him, and mentions him in the letters to the Ephesians and to the Magnesians. Polycarp visited Rome during the time of Pope Anicetus, and found their customs for observing Pascha differed.

They agreed to peaceably disagree on this matter. Polycarp was offered the opportunity of celebrating the Eucharist in the Pope's church.