Evangelization of Christian faith in France came at the hands of St. Lazarus, who had to flee from the Jews who persecuted him severely after he was resurrected from death. He fled to France where he started evangelizing.
Father Benjamin of Muharraq monastery said in his article Evangelization in France that St. Lazarus came to France with his sister Martha and Mary. As a result of the severe persecution, they boarded a ship from Palestine and sailed through the Mediterranean Sea to the coast of the city of Lyon, which is considered the first Christian capital in France.
In the church tradition in France, Mary after preaching in Marseilles settled in the area of Mount Saint-Boum, which is far away 60 km from the city of Marseilles, where there is a cave where she spent about thirty years in prayer and worship until her departure, and this place was turned into a monastery for the Dominican monks.
St. Lazarus went to the island of Cyprus where he was ordained by the Apostles Paul and Barnabas as the bishop of the town of Caitone. Lazarus lived for more than thirty years after the Lord raised him from death. He was buried there for the second and last time. The remains of the Saint are located in Marseilles, Where Lazarus was the patron saint of many French cities and his name was called on many places. There is a large railway station in Paris named Saint Lazarus. In the city of Aition there is a large cathedral in the form of a cross of three Altars bearing the name of Saint Lazarus and St. Mary and St. Martha.
The evangelization of the Christian faith is a message to every human being in every time and place. We must learn from the early missionaries love and giving in order to spread the word and win the souls.
