Caecilius of Elvira

Who is Caecilius of Elvira?

Saint Caecilius is venerated as the patron saint of Granada, Spain. Tradition makes him a Christian missionary of the 1st century, during the Apostolic Age. He evangelized the town of Iliberri or Iliberis, and became its first bishop. He is thus considered the founder of the archdiocese of Granada, established around 64 AD. Elvira’s first bishop, according to the Glosas Emilianenses, was Caecilius. Tradition states that he wrote some didactic treatises and that he was burned to death during the reign of Nero.

He is one of the group of Seven Apostolic Men, seven Christian clerics ordained in Rome by Saints Peter and Paul and sent to evangelize Spain. Besides Caecilius, this group includes Sts. Hesychius, Ctesiphon, Torquatus, Euphrasius, Indaletius, and Secundius.