Saint Stephen is the Protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity and is venerated as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church and its Eastern Rite, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of England and its Anglican Communion among other religious denominations. He is identified as one of the first deacons chosen by the early church in Acts of the Apostles. The Feast of Saint Stephen is celebrated on December 26 in the Western Church and December 27 in the Eastern Church. Until 1955, a simple octave was also kept by the Roman Catholic Church in honor of this feast, with the Octave day on January 2. A second feast, the Invention of St. Stephen, was kept on August 3, commemorating the finding (Latin: inventio) of his body during the reign of Emperor Honorius.

Upon the death of Jesus, Stephen began to work hard to spread what was then called The Way. He preached the teachings of Jesus

Saint Stephen's name is simply derived from the Greek Stephanos, meaning "crown", which translated into Aramaic as Kelil. Saint Stephen is traditionally invested with a crown of martyrdom for Christianity and is often depicted in art with three stones and the martyrs' palm. In Eastern Christian iconography he is shown as a young beardless man with a tonsure, wearing deacon's vestments, and often holding a miniature church building and censer.

Cult of Saint Stephen

Many churches are named in honor of Saint Stephen but there was no official "Tomb of St Stephen" for centuries until 415, when Christian pilgrims were traveling in large numbers to Jerusalem and a certain priest named Lucian said he had learned by revelation that tomb was in Caphar Gamala, some distance to the north of Jerusalem. Gregory of Tours reports that

St Stephen's Day

Main article St. Stephen's Day.

December 26, the "feast of Stephen" referred to in the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas, is called "St. Stephen's Day"; it is a public holiday in Ireland, Italy, Finland and Romania. In Catalonia (though not elsewhere in Spain) it is called "Sant Esteve" and is a bank holiday. It is called "Saint Étienne" in France and bank holiday in Alsace and Moselle only.

In Irish it is called Lá Fhéile Stiofán or Lá an Dreoilín, literally the "Day of the Wren"; several Irish legends link episodes in the life of Jesus to the wren. In parts of Ireland persons carrying either an effigy of a wren, or an actual caged wren, travel from house to house playing music, singing and dancing. Depending on which region of the country, they are called Wrenboys, Mummers or Strawboys. A Mummer's Festival is held at this time every year in the village of New Inn, Co. Galway.

A popular rhyme, known to many Irish children and sung at each house visited by the mummers goes as follows:

The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,

On St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,

Up with the penny and down with the pan,

Give us a penny to bury the wren.

In Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, St. Stephen's Day is known as Boxing Day.

See also

• Saint Stephen of Hungary
• Saint Stephen of Perm

Resources

• : Saint Stephen
• at IrishFestivals.net

Further reading

• Robert Eisenman, 1997. James the Brother of Jesus : The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls makes a case for the figure of Stephen as an invented cover for the actual historical career of James the Just.

Commemorative shrines

• In Eastern Jerusalem , Israel - St. Steven's Church.
• In the old city of Jerusalem - the "Lions gate" is called also St. Stephanus gate

Sant Esteve Svatý Štěpán Sankt Stefan Stephanus Saint Étienne Sveti Stjepan Santo Stefano סטפנוס הקדוש Stefanus ステファノ Święty Szczepan Santo Estêvão Svätý Štefan Prvomučeník Stefanus