Saint Lazarus of Bethany
Saint Lazarus of Bethany (fl. 1st century AD in Bethany, Judea; died c. 1st century AD) was the brother of Saint Mary of Bethany and Saint Martha and a personal friend of Jesus. He is known chiefly for being raised from the dead by Jesus after four days in the tomb — the greatest miracle recorded in the Gospel of John (John 11:1–44). In the Western tradition he is identified as the man who traveled to southern Gaul with his sisters and became the first bishop of Marseille. In the Eastern tradition he became the first bishop of Kition (Larnaca) in Cyprus. His feast day is December 17 in the Roman Rite; July 29 in the Eastern Church; and Lazarus Saturday (the Saturday before Palm Sunday) is his principal feast in the Eastern tradition.
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| Saint Lazarus of Bethany | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | December 17 (Roman Rite); July 29 (Eastern); Lazarus Saturday (Eastern — Saturday before Palm Sunday) |
| Profession | Layman; bishop (Western tradition: Marseille; Eastern tradition: Kition/Larnaca, Cyprus); friend of Jesus |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox; Oriental Orthodox; Eastern Catholic; biblical figure; personally known to Jesus |
| Patronage | Marseille; Larnaca (Cyprus); those who suffer long illness; those who experience death-like situations and survive; lepers (by association with the ''Lazarus'' of Luke 16, sometimes confused with him in the Middle Ages); hospitals (medieval ''lazar houses'' for lepers derived their name from him) |
| Attributes | Burial cloths (from the tomb); the number four (four days dead); friendship with Jesus; sisters Mary and Martha; the tears of Jesus; Bethany; Marseille; Larnaca; medieval lazar houses for lepers |
| Birthplace | Bethany, Judea (modern Al-Eizariya, West Bank) |
| Death Place | Marseille, France (Western tradition); Kition/Larnaca, Cyprus (Eastern tradition) |
| Cause of Death | Natural death after his first raising from the dead by Jesus; later tradition holds he served as a bishop and lived many more years |
| Primary Shrine | Church of Saint Lazarus (Agios Lazaros), Larnaca, Cyprus — his sarcophagus beneath the altar; one of the finest Byzantine churches in Cyprus; major pilgrimage site; Basilica of Saint-Victor, Marseille, France — his traditional tomb in the Western tradition; one of the oldest Christian sites in France; Tomb of Lazarus, Al-Eizariya (Bethany), West Bank — the traditional tomb where he was raised; accessible to visitors |
| Liturgical Class | Optional Memorial (Roman Rite, December 17); major feast in Eastern Orthodox calendar (including Lazarus Saturday); feast in Cyprus and Marseille |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar |
Biography and scriptural account
Lazarus was a resident of Bethany, a village two miles east of Jerusalem on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. He was the brother of Mary (the woman who anointed Jesus's feet) and Martha. The Gospel of John explicitly states that "Jesus loved Lazarus" (John 11:5, 11:36) — one of the few individuals in the Gospels about whom this is said directly.
When Lazarus fell ill, his sisters sent word to Jesus. Jesus deliberately waited two more days before going to Bethany. When he arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days. Jesus wept — "And Jesus wept" (John 11:35) is the shortest verse in the Bible. He then commanded the stone to be removed from the tomb, prayed aloud, and called: "Lazarus, come out!" Lazarus emerged, still bound in burial cloths. Jesus commanded: "Unbind him, and let him go."
The event had immediate consequences: the chief priests and Pharisees convened and decided to kill Jesus, saying "if we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him" (John 11:48). The raising of Lazarus thus directly precipitated the Passion.
After the Resurrection, the Western tradition holds that Lazarus, his sisters, and other disciples were expelled from Judea and landed by providential boat in the Camargue region of southern Gaul, where Lazarus became the first bishop of Marseille. The Eastern tradition holds that he became the first bishop of Kition (modern Larnaca) in Cyprus, where he died and was buried; his sarcophagus was discovered there in 890 AD.
Significant locations
Legend
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Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Lazarus of Bethany have been added to the database yet.
Media
| Media | Length | AuthorCreator |
|---|---|---|
| The Story of St. Lazarus of Bethany || Feast Day : December 17 | Under 5 minutes | Joy of Heaven |
Shrines
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Known shrines
- Tomb of Lazarus, Al-Eizariya (Bethany), West Bank — the traditional tomb from which Jesus raised him.
- Church of Saint Lazarus (Agios Lazaros), Larnaca, Cyprus — his sarcophagus; Eastern tradition.
- Basilica of Saint-Victor, Marseille, France — his traditional tomb; Western tradition.
Feast day
December 17 (Roman Rite); July 29 (Eastern); Lazarus Saturday (Saturday before Palm Sunday, Eastern)
Veneration
Saint Lazarus of Bethany is venerated in both East and West as the man raised from the dead by Jesus and as a bishop in his own right. He is the patron of Marseille and Larnaca.
Prayers
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