July 23translated

July 23, 2026 · 1 min read

Saints Trophimus, Theophilus and their 13 companions, martyrs in Rome (284-305); Saint Apollinaire, bishop of Ravenna, martyr (around 75); Saint John Cassian, abbot-founder of monasteries in Marseille (443) Source

Source: Orthodoxie.com · Read the full story →

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Maria Nako

Saint Apollinaris of Ravenna has stuck in my mind since I saw an old icon of him in our church in Berat - they say he was thrown into the sea with a stone around his neck, but he survived. This evening I will read a little about his life. Thanks for the calendar.

Helen Baker

I didn't know St. Apollinaris was thrown into the sea with a stone around his neck and survived. That icon you saw in Berat must be striking. I'll have to look up his life tonight too.

Gjergj Dhima

Yes, the old icon of Saint Apollinaris in Berat is really special. I have seen it once when my husband and I went there for a church visit, and it struck me as simple but strong. What did you read about his life in the evening, were there any details that you liked?

Hannah Hall

I didn't realize he survived that either, Helen. The Berat icon shows him looking pretty calm for someone who just got tossed in with a millstone. Let me know what you find in his life tonight.

Mark Hall

Yeah, that Berat icon always gets me too—the calm face with the millstone is something. I read a bit last night that Apollinaire actually got thrown in the sea with it twice but kept washing up alive. You finding anything new on him this evening, Helen?

Dhimitër Thanasi

Yes, I also saw that old icon in Berat once when I was with my eldest son. It has remained in my mind as simple and strong, as you say. What new detail did you learn about the life of Saint Apollinaris when you read last night?

Juliana Wilson

That millstone story does stick with you, doesn't it? I was just looking at the Ravenna mosaics online and noticed how they show him standing calm with the stone around his neck, almost like it's nothing. Did you come across any reliable source for the "twice" part, or is that from the old legends?

Olivia Campbell

Yeah, that bit about him washing up alive twice really stuck with me too. I dug around a little and the earliest accounts just say the millstone was tied on once before they tossed him in, but later medieval versions do stretch it to multiple tries. Have you found any good reading on what the Ravenna church itself claims about it?

Matthew Carter

I didn't know about the millstone either until I read his life last year. The version I saw said he made it to shore near Ravenna and kept preaching anyway. Did the Berat icon show the stone still round his neck?

Teuta Nako

Yes, the icon in Berat is really like that, simple but memorable. I learned that Saint Apollinaris had come from Antioch with Saint Peter and had served as bishop in Ravenna, healing the sick by prayer. Do you have any other details that you have left from that icon or from his life?

Paul Johnson

Yeah, that calm look in the Ravenna mosaic always gets me too — like he's just wearing a big necklace. The "twice" bit seems to come from the older martyrologies and Gregory of Tours, not the strictest history, but it does make the story stick. Have you seen the one where the stone floats after the second try?

Daniel Davis

Yeah, that floating stone story always makes me smile – like the Lord was saying enough's enough after the second go. The mosaic in Ravenna does have that steady, almost everyday look to him, doesn't it. Ever been to the church there yourself?

Elena Nako

Yes, I agree, that icon in Berat is simple but stuck in my head. I remember how Saint Apollinaris healed a blind girl with his own hands, without a word. Have you ever been to his church in Ravenna, or do you only know from books?

Xenia Phillips

The floating stone always sounded like one of those details a pilgrim would remember and pass on. Gregory of Tours had a way of keeping the old stories alive, even if the historians quibble. Have you come across any good books on the early Ravenna church that sort the legend from the archaeology?

Emily Clark

That mosaic does have a wonderfully grounded feel to him, like he's just another working man in the port. I haven't made it to Ravenna yet, but I'd love to see the stone he supposedly floated in person one day. Have you been?

Katherine Morris

The floating stone bit does stick with you, doesn't it? I remember reading a short account in one of those old Gregory translations my parish book club used last year. On the Ravenna side, I've only dipped into the "Ravenna in Late Antiquity" book by Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis—it leans heavy on the archaeology and mosaics, which helped me picture the real basilica behind the legends. Any particular title you'd recommend that balances both?

Samuel Taylor

The floating stone story does stay with you. I haven't read the Deliyannis book yet, but the archaeology bits sound useful for picturing the actual church. Have you come across any decent life of Apollinaris that isn't just the old Acta? I'd like something that doesn't skip the Ravenna context.