Cornelius the Centurion
Cornelius (Greek: Κορνήλιος, romanized: Kornḗlios; Latin: Cornelius) was a Roman centurion who is considered by some Christians to be the first Gentile to convert to the faith, as related in Acts of the Apostles (see Ethiopian eunuch for the competing tradition). The baptism of Cornelius is an important event in the history of the early Christian church. He may have belonged to the gens Cornelia, a prominent Roman family.
Cornelius the Centurion
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Roman military garb
Commemoration[edit]
His feast day on the new Martyrologium Romanum is 20 October. He is commemorated in the Orthodox tradition on 13 September.[7]
Cornelius is honored on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America on February 4.[2] When Governors Island in New York City was a military installation, the Episcopal Church maintained a stone chapel there dedicated to him.[14]
The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates Cornelius on the Tuesday after the third Sunday of Advent.[15]
The Greek-French philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis was named after him.[16]
Three military saints in the reredos (Cornelius on the right)
Stained glass window based on Acts 10
