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Babylas of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch from 237 to 253
SaintResearchedPre-congregation
Feast: 24 January (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
—
unknown
Died
250
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Babylas, twelfth Bishop of Antioch, once refused an emperor entry to church because of his wrongdoing until he did penance.
In the persecution of Decius in 250 he made an unwavering confession of faith and died of his sufferings in prison, and was venerated as a martyr.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A bishop who would not let even an emperor escape penance.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Babylas
- Wikidata Q797915 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Babylas of Antioch (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.