Who Was St. Stephen?
St. Stephen holds a unique place in Christian history as the first martyr, or “Protomartyr,” of the Christian faith. He was one of the seven deacons ordained by the Apostles to serve the early Church in Jerusalem, making him an archdeacon. According to the Acts of the Apostles, Stephen was a Hellenistic Jew who performed great wonders and signs among the people, and was full of faith and the Holy Spirit.
Around 34 AD, Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin on charges of blasphemy. After delivering a powerful defence of the Christian faith, he was dragged outside the city and stoned to death. His final words echoed those of Christ: “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” Among those witnessing his execution was a young man named Saul, who would later become the Apostle Paul.
The Burial and Discovery of the Relics
After Stephen’s martyrdom, his body was left exposed for dogs to consume, but God’s providence intended otherwise. Gamaliel, Paul’s renowned teacher and a secret follower of Christ, came after a day and night and took Stephen’s body to Caphargamala, about twenty miles from Jerusalem, where he buried it in a cave on his own property. Gamaliel later buried Nicodemus (who died weeping at Stephen’s grave), his own son Abibas, and eventually was buried there himself.
For centuries, the exact location of these graves was forgotten. Then in 415 AD, during the reign of Patriarch John of Jerusalem, Gamaliel appeared three times in dreams to a priest named Lucian who served at a church near Caphargamala. Gamaliel revealed the precise location of the forgotten graves and identified which grave belonged to which saint.
Father Lucian informed Patriarch John, who came with Bishops Eutonius of Sebaste and Eleutherius of Jericho to excavate the site. When Stephen’s coffin was opened, the earth shook and an extraordinarily sweet fragrance emanated from it. Seventy-three sick people who were present recovered their health immediately. The relics were then carried in solemn procession with psalms and hymns to the Church of Sion in Jerusalem on 26th December 415.
The Translation to Constantinople
The August 2nd feast specifically commemorates the translation of St. Stephen’s relics from Jerusalem to Constantinople. During the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), around the year 428, the relics of Stephen, along with those of Nicodemus, Gamaliel, and Abibas, were transferred from Jerusalem to Constantinople.
Initially, the relics were placed in the church of the holy deacon Laurence. When a church specifically dedicated to the Protomartyr Stephen was built and prepared, the relics were transferred there on August 2nd, which is why this date became the feast of the Translation.
According to tradition, when the relics arrived in Constantinople, the mules carrying the sacred chest stopped at Constantianae and refused to proceed further. Remarkably, one mule spoke in a human voice, saying the holy relic must be placed there. Emperor Constantine ordered a church built at that location to house St. Stephen’s relics.
There are also accounts from earlier, around 421, when Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem sent the right hand of St. Stephen to Constantinople as a gift to Emperor Theodosius and his sister Pulcheria, who built a chapel in the Palace of Daphne to house it.
Historical Significance and Multiple Commemorations
The Orthodox Church commemorates St. Stephen on several dates throughout the year:
- 26th December: The primary feast day, marking his martyrdom
- 2nd August: The Translation of his relics to Constantinople
- 15th September: The discovery (uncovering) of his relics in 415
- 4th January: The Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles, of which Stephen was one
In Western Christianity, St. Stephen’s Day falls on December 26, while the historical commemoration of the “Finding of the Relics” was observed on August 3rd in some traditions.
How the Feast is Celebrated Today
In the Orthodox Church, the feast is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, preceded by a Matins service, and may include a Great Vespers on the evening before. The liturgical readings include passages from Acts describing Stephen’s ministry and martyrdom, along with Gospel readings.
Churches sing special hymns (troparia and kontakia) that honour Stephen as the first to shed his blood for Christ. The Apolytikion proclaims: “For the struggles you endured for Christ God, a royal diadem crowns your head, O First Champion of Martyrs.”
The Kontakion celebrates Stephen as the first to be martyred: “You were the first to be sown on the earth by the Heavenly Husbandman… You were the first to shed your blood on the earth for Christ, O blessed one.”
Where the Relics Are Today
Over the centuries, portions of St. Stephen’s relics have been distributed to various locations. The right hand of St. Stephen is currently preserved in the Serapionov chamber of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Sergiyev Posad, Russia, about 70 kilometers northeast of Moscow.
Other portions of the relics were taken to Rome and placed in the Church of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, where they rest beside the relics of the great Roman deacon Lawrence. Relics have also been brought to various locations worldwide, including India, where they are housed at St. Stephens Orthodox Cathedral Pilgrim Center in Kudassanad, Kerala.
Spiritual Meaning
The Translation feast celebrates not just the physical movement of relics, but the Church’s veneration of its first martyr and the power of his witness. Many healings of the sick were performed through the relics of St. Stephen, demonstrating that God crowned with great glory the one who first shed his blood for Christ’s name.
The story of Stephen’s relics reminds the faithful that the saints remain spiritually present and active in the Church’s life. The miraculous discovery after centuries and the wonders performed through the relics testify to the eternal nature of Christian witness and the communion of saints that transcends time and death.
Today, churches dedicated to St. Stephen around the world continue to honour his memory, particularly on August 2nd in Orthodox traditions, as a reminder of his courage, his forgiveness of his persecutors, and his unwavering faith that made him the model for all Christian martyrs who would follow.
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