Among 66 saints named Felix, this one was born near Naples, Italy, the son of a Syrian-born Roman soldier. Felix chose religious over army life and was ordained by St. Maximus of Nola. In persecutions begun by Emperor Decius in 250, Felix was imprisoned and tortured; legends claim an angel freed him and a spider web helped him elude recapture. The people of Nola wanted Felix to succeed Maximus, but Felix declined, instead doing pastoral work from a small farm. His shrine in Nola became a major pilgrimage center, and he is the patron saint of lost animals and spiders. St. Paulinus of Nola and Venerable Bede preserved his story.
