Saint Januarius

<p>Little is known about the life or martyrdom of Januarius. His fame is centred on a relic, said to contain his blood, which is kept in the cathedral at Naples. Early devotion to the saint was based on the belief that Januarius, an Italian bishop, lived in the 4th century and was martyred during the Diocletian persecution, but the records are not reliable.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 4pt 0cm 0pt;">Since the 15th century, the flask containing the blood has attracted attention. Eighteen times a year, the solid mass in the vial becomes liquefied, sometimes seeming to bubble and froth. The relic is an object of devotion and the activity is said to be miraculous. No natural explanation has been found for this phenomenon.<br /></p>
<p>©2011 <em>Living with Christ, </em>Novalis - Bayard Press Canada Inc., <strong>http://www.livingwithchrist.ca/</strong&gt;. Reprinted with permission.</p>