Philogonius (or Filogonius, Philogonus, Philogonios, gr, Φιλογόνιος; died 322) was a lawyer and an early

Bishop of Antioch Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian ...

who came to be considered a saint. He opposed Arianism when that heresy emerged in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

, Egypt. His feast day is 20 December.

Outline

Philogonius was a successful advocate at the bar of

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

. He was known for his eloquence, moral integrity and Christian faith. He married and had a daughter, but became a monk and ascetic after his wife died. In 318 when Vitalis died Philogonius was made Bishop of Antioch without first becoming a priest. When Arius (256–336) began to preach his heresy at

in 318,

Saint Alexander Saint Alexander may refer to one of several saints including: *Pope Alexander I (died 115), saint and pope *See Epipodius and Alexander for Saint Alexander, martyred in Lyon, 178 AD *Alexander of Rome (died c. 289), Christian martyr *Alexander of B ...

sent a synodal letter condemning him to Philogonius, who defended the orthodox faith against the heresy. Philogonius lived through the attacks on the church by Maximin II (r. 310–313) and

Licinius Valerius Licinianus Licinius (c. 265 – 325) was Roman emperor from 308 to 324. For most of his reign he was the colleague and rival of Constantine I, with whom he co-authored the Edict of Milan, AD 313, that granted official toleration to C ...

(r. 308 to 324). He died in 322.

Monks of Ramsgate account

The monks of

St Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate St Augustine's Abbey or Ramsgate Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Ramsgate. It was built in 1860 by Augustus Pugin and is a Grade II listed building. It was the first Benedictine monastery to be built in England since the Reformation. In ...

, wrote in their ''Book of Saints'' (1921),

Butler's account

The hagiographer

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer. Biography Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died when ...

(1710–1773) wrote in his ''Lives of the fathers, martyrs, and other principal saints'',

Weninger's account

Francis Xavier Weninger (1805–1888) wrote in his ''Lives of the Saints'' (1876),

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT: Saints from Roman Greece 322 deaths