St. John Evangelist (eagle) with aureole

Saint John the Evangelist

Saint John, son of Zebedee and brother of Saint James the Greater, was a close friend of Simon Peter and one of the most prominent apostles. Before following Christ, he was a disciple of John the Baptist.

He is often described in the Bible as "the disciple whom Jesus loved". During the Last Supper, John sat beside Jesus and was present with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. At the crucifixion, Jesus entrusted His mother Mary to John. He was also one of the first to witness the empty tomb after the Resurrection.

After Christ’s death, John took care of the Virgin Mary and became a pillar of the early Christian community. He was arrested several times for preaching and later left Jerusalem to lead the Church in Ephesus.

Under the persecution of Emperor Domitian, he was exiled to the Island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. According to legend, he survived being plunged into a cauldron of boiling oil before his exile.

After returning to Ephesus, he wrote the Gospel of John and the three Johannine epistles. He died around 100 AD of natural causes, a rare case among the apostles.

The cult of Saint John spread from Ephesus and influenced many traditions, such as the blessing of wine on his feast day.

Iconography:
as a young or old man with an eagle (symbol of the Evangelist), with wings, a chalice, a cauldron of oil, a pen, a book, a serpent, or during his martyrdom.

Feast day:
December 27

Patron saint of:
theologians, scribes, writers, librarians, typographers, notaries, painters, glassmakers, friendship, for a good harvest, and against hail, burns, epilepsy, poisoning, and foot ailments.