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Saint Apollonia Patron
Saint of Dentistry
St. Apollonia lived during the reign of Emperor Philip
just prior to the Decius' ascension. St. Apollonia was
a Christian virgin who vowed herself into the service
of Jesus
Christ and promised to remain chaste.
At the time period in which St. Apollonia lived, the
heathen crowds tortured any Christians they could find.
This set the stage for the martyrdom of St. Apollonia.
St. Apollonia Apprehended
St. Apollonia was captured by the heathens and ordered
to worship stone idols. Rather than obey their demands,
St. Appolonia made the sign of the cross. When she did
this, the pagan idols broke into thousands of pieces.
St. Apollonia Tortured
St. Apollonia was tortured because of her refusal to
pay homage to the pagan gods. Some stories stay that
St. Apollonia's teeth were yanked out one by one, while
other accounts say that her teeth were knocked out with
a bludgeon. After the heathen attack on St. Apollonia,
her cheeks were torn to shreds.
The heathen mobs then told St. Apollonia once again
to honor the pagan idols, threatening her with burning
flames. She refused to honor the gods and jumped into
the rising flames herself. Her torturers were terrified
with her willingness to die for her God.
Bishop of Antioch (247-265 A.D.) Wrote of St. Apollonia's
Death
Dionysius, the Bishop of Antioch at the time of St.
Apollinia's martyrdom wrote an account of the incident:
At that time, Apollonia the parthenos presbutis was
held in high esteem. These men seized her also and by
repeated blows broke all her teeth. They then erected
outside the city gates a pile of fagots and threatened
to burn her alive if she refused to repeat after them
impious words against Christ. Given at her own request,
a little freedom she sprang quickly into the fire and
was burned to death.
St. Apollonia Remembered Today
To this very day, St. Apollonia is remembered by Catholics
around the world as St. Apollonia Patron Saint of Dentistry.
Catholics pray to St. Apollonia, asking for protection
against toothaches and wearing a Saint Apollonia medal
to remind them of her great pain and sacrifice.
Many Catholics give a Saint Apollonia pendant or Saint
Apollonia charm to friends or relatives who are undergoing
oral surgery, root canals, or tooth extraction in the
hopes that St. Apollonia will look upon the patient
and make their dental procedure successful.
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