In the first century AD, Apollinaris was consecrated as a bishop by Saint Peter himself and appointed to proclaim the Gospel in the city of Ravenna. Appolinaris, like the Apostles, dedicated his time to public preaching and soon won many converts to our Lord Jesus Christ.

He was persecuted by the authorities for his success and he was driven from the city.

The Christians that he had baptized discovered his unconscious body on the seashore, nursed him to health, and concealed him. However, he was captured a second time and compelled to walk on burning coals and a second time expelled. But he remained in the vicinity, and continued his work of evangelization.

We find him then journeying in the Roman province of Aemilia, Italy. A third time he returned to Ravenna. Again he was captured, hacked with knives, had scalding water poured over his wounds, was beaten in the mouth with stones because he persisted in preaching, and was flung into a horrible dungeon, loaded with chains, to starve to death.

After four days he was put on board a ship and sent to Greece. There the same course of preachings, miracles and sufferings continued; and when his very presence caused the pagan oracles to be silent, he was, after a cruel beating, sent back to Italy.

All this continued for three years, and a fourth time he returned to Ravenna. By this time Vespasian was Emperor, and he, in answer to the complaints of the pagans, issued a decree of banishment against the Christians. Apollinaris was kept concealed for some time, but as he was passing out of the gates of the city, was set upon and savagely beaten, probably at Classis, a suburb, but he lived for seven days, foretelling meantime that the persecutions would increase, but that the Church would ultimately triumph.

Saint Apollinaris was Bishop of Ravenna for twenty-six years.