A child martyr of Antioch, remembered as a companion of Saint Babylas of Antioch.

Saint Epolonius of Antioch was a child companion of Saint Babylas, bishop of Antioch, martyred alongside him, tentatively dated to around the year 253. His memory is kept together with the small group of children traditionally associated with Babylas’s own martyrdom.

Quick Facts

• Died: possibly 253, Antioch, Turkey
• Venerated as: Child companion of Saint Babylas of Antioch
• Layperson and martyr

Who Was Saint Epolonius of Antioch?

Epolonius is remembered in tradition as a child associated with the household or catechetical circle of Babylas, the bishop of Antioch famously martyred under the emperor Decius after refusing the emperor entry to a Christian church until he did penance for a murder. Tradition holds that several children connected to Babylas shared in his fate, dying alongside him rather than being spared because of their youth.

Historical Setting

Antioch, one of the great sees of the early Church and the city where believers were first called Christians according to the Acts of the Apostles, was a major center of both Christian life and imperial power, making Babylas’s public confrontation with Decius — one of the most dramatic episodes of the Decian persecution — and the martyrdom that followed a particularly well-remembered event in the city’s Christian memory.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Epolonius of Antioch

The Church remembers Saint Epolonius, alongside the bishop he accompanied, as part of a martyrdom notable for including children among its victims — a stark reminder that the persecutions of the third century spared no one, and that even the youngest members of the Christian community were sometimes asked to share the same ultimate cost as their bishop.

Canonization and Feast Day

No formal canonization process is recorded for Saint Epolonius of Antioch; his veneration, tied to that of Babylas, is ancient and immemorial, preserved through the strong local memory of Antioch’s own martyr tradition.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

That a child is remembered by name alongside his bishop in this martyrdom is a sober reminder of how completely persecution could touch a Christian community, and a call to tenderness toward the youngest and most vulnerable members of the Church in every age.

A Prayer to Saint Epolonius of Antioch

Saint Epolonius, child martyr of Antioch, you shared the ultimate witness of your bishop though you were only a child. Protect children today who suffer for their families’ faith, and grant them the same courage you showed. Amen.

Sources

• Roman Martyrology
• New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia