Athanasius, bishop and doctor – May 2nd
St Athanasius (d. 373, Alexandria, Egypt) (Relics: Venice, Italy; Cairo, Egypt)
First Class Relics
San Zaccaria (Saint Zacharias)
Campo San Zaccaria
30122 Venice, Italy
*The remains of St Athanasius and St Zacharias, the father of St John the Baptist, are enshrined on the right side of the nave.
*Saint Athanasius was a passionate defender of orthodoxy during the Arian crisis in the 4th century. As a result, he suffered exile on numerous occasions. Nevertheless, by the end of his life he was able to return to Alexandria and died in peace surrounded by his clergy at the age of seventy-seven. It is unclear how his relics arrived in Venice.
St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral
Al Abbasiya, Cairo, Egypt
*In 1968 Pope Paul VI gave some of the Venetian relics of St Mark to the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. They are now kept at this church in Cairo.
*A similar situation happened in 1973 when some relics of St Athanasius were likewise returned to the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. These relics are also kept at this same church.
Churches of Honor in Rome
Sant'Atanasio (Saint Athanasius)
Via del Babuino 149
Rome, Italy
*This church is near Piazza del Popolo and it is dedicated to St Athanasius. It is not open often.
