Eleuchadius

Holy Hierarch Eleuchadius, Bishop of Ravenna, lived in the 2nd century and is counted as the third bishop of that see, after Apollinaris and Adheritus. He was a Greek and a philosopher, and he came to the Christian faith through the preaching of Saint Apollinaris.

According to tradition he succeeded Adheritus in the see of Ravenna around the year 100 and shepherded the Church for about twelve years. He is said to have been known for his learning and to have left theological writings. A legend of Ravenna, which seems to have taken shape by the 9th century at the latest, tells that after the death of Adheritus the faithful asked God for a sign in choosing their bishop, and a dove came to rest on the head of Eleuchadius.

He reposed on a 14 February, around the year 112, and was buried outside the walls of Classe, near Ravenna. In 751, with the Lombard conquest, his relics were carried to Pavia, where they are kept in the church of San Michele Maggiore. He is venerated by both the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches and is commemorated on 14 February, by the Western calendar (new style); belonging to the time of the undivided Church, he is a saint of the undivided Church.