Saint Apollinaris

Feast day: July 20

Apollinaris was reportedly dispatched by Saint Peter to become the city of Ravenna's first bishop. Due to the success of his gospel message, the local pagans beat him and expelled him from the city. But when he came back, he was sent into exile once more. He entered the city again after having preached outside of Ravenna. He was loaded into a ship bound for Greece after being mercilessly tortured. He was expelled from that country due to pagans, and after arriving in Italy, he returned to Ravenna yet again. He passed away as a result of injuries sustained following a brutal beating in the Ravenna suburb of Classis. There was a stunning basilica constructed in his honor in the sixth century.