Saint Denis is called “the Areopagite” because, as a judge, he lived on the hill of Ares in Athens. He was converted to the Catholic Faith by Saint Paul and was soon brought by him to see the Blessed Virgin Mary in Jerusalem. Saint Denis said, when he beheld the Mother of Jesus, that if he had not been prevented from doing so, so outstanding was Mary’s beauty, he would have fallen on his face and adored her as God. Saint Denis was the first Bishop of Athens in Greece. He later became the first Bishop of Paris in France. He was transported with the Apostles miraculously to Jerusalem to witness the death and burial of Our Blessed Lady, as were also Saint Hierotheus of Athens, his teacher and friend, and Saint Timothy. Saint Denis was beheaded under the Roman Emperor Domitian. He is the patron saint of France. He is one of the fourteen Holy Helpers, and is invoked against demons.
Saint Denis holding his head. Statue at the left portal of Notre Dame de Paris. Photo by Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source.
See also: The Catholic World of Father Denis Fahey
