Have you ever had dental problems in the past? Well if you had said a prayer to Saint Apollonia your problems may have resolved much faster.
Saint Apollonia lived in Alexandria, Egypt during a time when Christians were viciously harassed for their beliefs. One day Apollonia was forced from her home and was tortured by a throng of pagans. The angry mob knocked all of her teeth out, while they beat her. This event happened circa 249.
After she was savagely beaten by this crowd, Apollonia was given a decision to either denounce God or face being thown into a pit a fire. Rather than give the crowd the power to end her life, or denounce God, Apollonia chose to leap into the flames by her own will. This is why Saint Apollonia is known as a martyr.
Apollonia stood strong to her beliefs and decided to die rather than give the crowd what they wanted, or denounce God.
Apollonia is known today as the patron saint of teeth, and dentistry due to her losing all her teeth in her brutal beating. Anybody about to go under a dental procedure or who suffer from other dental issues should say a quick prayer to Saint Apollonia to encourage a speedy recovery.
Being the patron saint of dentistry and teeth, Apollonia is usually portrayed with a necklace with a gold tooth hung on the end, or with pincers a tooth.
Apollonia chose a road less traveled by many Christians of her time. Many of the Christian faith chose to denounce God or hide their faith due to the constant ridicule and suffering they saw many others recieve. Apollonia chose to stand firmly behind her thoughts and beliefs, and take whatever the angry pagans threw at her. This is why she died, but she died a martyr and a symbol of true faith to all of those who knew of her.
Saint Augustine proclaimed Apollonius’ actions an act of “heroic faith”. However, some have argued that she commited suicide in the face of a problem and was not truly a martyr. That question will never really be answered as it is a matter of opinion, but it has been debated upon for a very long time now.
During the middle ages was actually when Saint Apollonia was officially made the patron saint of dentistry and teeth, due to the horrible lack of dental hygiene and epidemic of tooth and gum disease.
If you are interested in other patron saints, please visit The Catholic Gift Shop where you can find patron saint medals for all saints.
Do you think patron saints are still relied on today, as they were in the past? We are ALWAYS interested in hearing about your devotion to your favorite patron saint, or your parish church, named after a Saint. Please tell us your favorite patron saint story below.
Tags: Apollonia, dentistry, martyr, patron saint, Saint Apollonia, St. Apollonia, teeth