Saint Agrippinus
Saint Agrippinus (also known as Agrippino; feast day November 9) was one of the early bishops of Naples and is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as a confessor bishop. He is traditionally identified as the second or third bishop of Naples, serving in the third or early fourth century, and is credited in hagiographic tradition with the patronage and protection of the city of Naples, which has venerated him as one of its patron saints alongside the more widely known Januarius. The historical documentation for his life is limited, but his cult has been maintained continuously in Naples from the early Christian centuries.
Agrippinus is especially venerated in the Neapolitan tradition in connection with the liquefaction miracles associated with his relics. The devotion to Agrippinus in Naples reflects the strong martyrological and episcopal tradition of the early Church in that ancient city, which had received the Christian faith in the apostolic era and had developed a rich tradition of bishop-saints and martyr-saints by the time of the Constantinian peace.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Agrippinus
| Saint Agrippinus | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | November 09 |
| Profession | Bishop |
| Rel. Affiliation | Diocese of Naples (early) |
| Patronage | Naples (co-patron) |
| Attributes | Bishop's vestments; crozier; relic vessel |
| Birthplace | Naples, Roman Empire (present-day Campania, Italy) |
| Death Place | Naples, Roman Empire (present-day Campania, Italy) |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes |
| Primary Shrine | Naples Cathedral, Naples, Italy |
| Liturgical Class | Not included (universal calendar) |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth
The birth date and family background of Saint Agrippinus are not preserved in surviving historical sources. He is traditionally identified as one of the earliest bishops of Naples—possibly the second or third to hold the see—serving in a period when the Neapolitan Church was establishing its institutional structure and developing its tradition of episcopal leadership. His name, Agrippinus (a diminutive of Agrippa, a Roman family name), is consistent with the Roman cultural context of early Neapolitan Christianity.
Early Life
No details of the early life of Agrippinus are available in the historical record. As a bishop of Naples in the early Christian centuries, he would have received theological formation within the local church tradition and been recognized by his community as a man of outstanding faith, learning, and pastoral character, qualities required of those elected to episcopal leadership in the early Church.
Occupation
Agrippinus served as Bishop of Naples, exercising the full range of episcopal responsibilities: leadership of the community's worship, administration of the sacraments, care for the poor, and governance of the church's material resources. His episcopate is not documentable in its specific acts or chronology from surviving primary sources.
Vocation
Saint Agrippinus's vocation was that of a confessor bishop—a bishop who governed his people in holiness and died peacefully after a life of episcopal service. He is not identified as a martyr in the mainstream tradition, though some accounts situate him in periods of Roman persecution. The essential character of his vocation, as preserved in the Neapolitan hagiographic tradition, is that of a faithful shepherd who protected and guided his flock and whose intercession continued to protect the city of Naples after his death.
Death
Saint Agrippinus died peacefully as Bishop of Naples. The date of his death is not established in the historical record. His feast day of November 9 reflects the liturgical commemoration assigned to him in the martyrological and hagiographic tradition of Naples.
Saint Agrippinus met his end peacefully in Naples after a holy life of episcopal service, dying as a confessor bishop in the ancient city of which he became a patron.
Significant events
- Served as an early bishop of Naples, traditionally identified as the second or third holder of that see.
- Venerated as a patron saint of the city of Naples.
- Relics preserved in the Naples Cathedral complex and venerated by the Neapolitan faithful.
- Feast established on November 9 in the local and broader martyrological tradition.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: None
Death location: Naples, Roman Empire (present-day Campania, Italy)
Notable location: Principal cathedral of Naples, primary center of his veneration (Naples Cathedral (Duomo di Napoli), Via Duomo 147, Naples, Campania, Italy)
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Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Saint Agrippinus have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
List of shrines
Naples Cathedral (Duomo di Napoli), Naples, Italy
- The Cathedral of Naples (officially the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, known as the Duomo di Napoli) is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Naples and the primary center of veneration for Saint Agrippinus in the city. The cathedral complex also houses the celebrated Chapel of San Gennaro with the relics of Januarius, but the broader cathedral tradition venerates all the early bishops and patron saints of Naples, including Agrippinus.
- Pilgrimage details: Via Duomo 147, Naples, Campania 80138, Italy. Open year-round. Diocese: Archdiocese of Naples.
- Facts: The Duomo of Naples is one of the most important pilgrim destinations in southern Italy; the veneration of Naples' patron saints, including Agrippinus and Januarius, is woven deeply into the identity of the Neapolitan people.
Church of Sant'Agrippino, Naples, Italy
- A church dedicated to Saint Agrippinus in Naples has traditionally served as a center of his local veneration, distinct from the cathedral. Local devotion to Agrippinus in Naples has been maintained since the early Christian centuries.
- Pilgrimage details: Naples, Campania, Italy. Diocese: Archdiocese of Naples.
- Facts: The veneration of Agrippinus in Naples is closely associated with the broader tradition of Neapolitan episcopal saints who formed the foundation of the local Church.
Canonization
Servant of God
Saint Agrippinus was recognized through the ancient process of universal veneration, predating the formal canonization process.
Venerable
Agrippinus is not designated as Venerable through the modern process.
Beatification
Agrippinus was not formally beatified through the post-Tridentine process.
Canonization
Saint Agrippinus is venerated as a canonized saint through the ancient process of equivalent canonization, confirmed by his inclusion in the Roman Martyrology and centuries of uninterrupted veneration in Naples.
Miracles
No specific miracles for beatification or canonization have been authenticated through the modern Congregation for the Causes of Saints process.
Miracle for beatification
No formal miracle for beatification has been authenticated.
Miracle for canonization
No formal miracle for canonization has been authenticated.
Other notable miracles
- The Neapolitan tradition associates the relics of Agrippinus with miraculous signs, including a form of liquefaction phenomenon analogous to that attributed to the relics of Januarius.
Patronage
Saint Agrippinus is venerated as a co-patron saint of Naples, alongside Saint Januarius and other patron saints of the Neapolitan tradition.
Feast day
November 09
Veneration
Saint Agrippinus is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day on November 9. His cult is centered in Naples, where he has been venerated as one of the founding patron bishops of the church for many centuries. He is depicted in Neapolitan religious art as a bishop in pontifical vestments.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
Books
Written about the saint
Written by the saint
- No writings by Saint Agrippinus are known to survive.