1st century
Saint Simeon the God-Receiver
The elder who, according to the Gospel of Luke, received the infant Jesus in the Temple.
Biography
Simeon lived in Jerusalem and was righteous and devout; it had been revealed to him that he would not die before seeing the Christ. Forty days after the birth of Jesus, led by the Spirit, he went to the Temple.
There he met Joseph and Mary with the infant, took him in his arms, and, recognising him as the Christ, gave thanks to God, saying "Now you dismiss your servant, Master... for my eyes have seen your salvation." Also present was the prophetess Anna, who likewise recognised the child and spoke of him to those awaiting the redemption of Israel.
Simeon's relics were later transferred from Palestine to Constantinople, from where, in 1204, after the city's fall, they were taken by Venetians to Venice.