Saint Matthias, as a faithful disciple, took the place of Judas Iscariot

St. Matthias, the twelfth apostle, is celebrated on May 14. His story is atypical, as he was chosen by the other apostles, rather than by Jesus, to fill the vacancy left by Judas Iscariot after his betrayal and suicide. The apostles were twelve to symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel.

How Saint Matthias went from a faithful disciple to an apostle of Jesus

After theAscension of Jesus, the apostles and disciples gathered to choose the new apostle. Saint Matthias was chosen among one hundred and twenty faithful of Jesus, along with another man called Joseph Barsaba, and then was chosen to be the new apostle. This story is told in the book of Acts of the Apostles.

Before being chosen as an apostle, Saint Matthias was a faithful disciple of Jesus, who never abandoned him from the moment of his baptism by John the Baptist. His name, Mattia, derives from Mattathias, which means "Gift of God“, which seems to indicate that he was destined to remain at the side of the Son of God.

After being chosen as an apostle, little is known about what St. Matthias did. Some sources claim that he traveled to the lands of Ethiopia and up to the territories populated by cannibals. Up therethe death happened at Sevastopol, where he was buried at the temple of the Sun. Some stories claim that he was stoned and beheaded with a halberd in Jerusalem.

Saint Matthias was present at the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles. This event marked the beginning of the Church's mission. The apostles began to preach the Gospel and many people were converted.

The relics of St. Matthias are kept in various churches and cities. One part is a Trier, in Germany, where there is a basilica dedicated to his cult. Some relics are also found in the basilica di Santa Giustina in Padua. However, there is also a suspicion that the relics in Rome in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore may belong to Saint Matthew, bishop of Jerusalem.