St John the Evangelist

John the Evangelist is so called because of his prolific role in spreading the gospel, in particular, writing the Gospel of John, the Letters of St John and the Book of Revelation.


He is the "disciple whom Jesus loved", one of the three pillars (along with Peter and James the Great) of the Jerusalem Church after Jesus’ crucifixion. Incredibly John is also the only Apostle to have escaped martyrdom, living to the age of 92.


Tradition tells us that St John’s Gospel was written some time after the others, and is less chronological, with the intention of both revealing the author’s memories of Jesus’ time on earth (it goes into far greater detail about many of His miracles) and of combating the contemporary Arian Heresy (i.e. denying that Jesus was both God and man).

St John is the patron of love and charity, loyalty, and friendship.
Here, he is illustrated in his traditional emblem as an eagle encircled with a halo, carrying the Gospel in its talons.