John the Baptist (around 6 BC – around AD 30) was a Jewish preacher who lived near the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is called Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, Saint John the Immerser in the Baptist tradition, and the prophet Yahya ibn Zakariya in Islam. He is also sometimes called John the Baptiser.
John is mentioned by the Roman Jewish historian Josephus. He is seen as an important religious leader in Christianity, Islam, the Baháʼí Faith, the Druze faith, and Mandaeism. In Mandaeism, he is considered the final and most important prophet. All these faiths believe John was a prophet of God, and many Christian groups honor him as a saint. According to the New Testament, John believed a greater messianic figure would come after him. In the Gospels, he is shown as a forerunner to Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew says Jesus called John "Elijah who is to come," a reference to the Book of Malachi, as told by the angel Gabriel, who announced John’s birth to his father Zechariah. The Gospel of Luke states that John and Jesus were relatives.
Some scholars believe John belonged to the Essenes, a Jewish group that lived simply and expected a Messiah, practicing ritual baptism. John used baptism as a key symbol of his movement before the Messiah came. Most biblical scholars agree that John baptized Jesus, and some early followers of Jesus had previously followed John. According to the New Testament, John was sentenced to death and beheaded by Herod Antipas around AD 30 after he criticized Herod for divorcing his wife and marrying Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother. Josephus also wrote about John in his book Antiquities of the Jews, stating that Herod Antipas ordered John’s execution at Machaerus.
People who followed John existed into the second century AD, and some believed he was the Messiah Jews were waiting for. Today, the Mandaeans, an ancient group with cultural and religious traditions, are the followers of John the Baptist. They believe he is their greatest and final prophet. In the Roman martyrology, John is the only saint whose birth and death are both remembered.
Gospel narratives
John the Baptist is mentioned in all four main Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and in the non-main Gospel of the Nazarenes. The Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) describe John baptizing Jesus. In the Gospel of John, this event is not directly described but is suggested in John 1:32.
The Gospel of Mark introduces John as a fulfillment of a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah, which combines parts of texts from Isaiah, Malachi, and Exodus. This prophecy describes a messenger being sent before a great person and a voice calling in the wilderness. John is described as wearing clothing made of camel hair and eating locusts and wild honey. He teaches people about baptism for the forgiveness of sins and says another person will come after him who will baptize with the Holy Spirit, not water.
Jesus comes to John and is baptized by him in the River Jordan. As Jesus comes up from the water, he sees the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descend on him like a dove. A voice from heaven says, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Later, the Gospel describes John’s death. A ruler named Herod Antipas hears about Jesus and believes it is John the Baptist raised from the dead. John had earlier criticized Herod for marrying Herodias, who was previously married to Herod’s brother, named Philip. Herodias wants John executed, but Herod is afraid of him because he respects him as a righteous man.
At a banquet, Herod’s daughter dances, and he promises her anything she asks. Her mother, Herodias, tells her to ask for John’s head. Herod reluctantly orders John’s execution, and his head is placed on a plate and given to her. John’s followers take his body and bury it in a tomb.
The Gospel calls Herod “King” and names his brother as Philip, though he is also known as Herod II. Some texts suggest the girl was Herod’s daughter, but others describe her as Herodias’ daughter. Scholars debate which version is original, as some early texts are unclear. Josephus, a historian, mentions Herodias had a daughter named Salome.
Many scholars believe the story of John’s arrest, execution, and burial foreshadows Jesus’ own fate.
The Gospel of Matthew begins with a similar prophecy from Isaiah, moving parts about Malachi and Exodus to later sections where Jesus quotes them. Matthew describes John wearing camel hair clothing and eating locusts and wild honey, just like Mark. He also mentions that John will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. In Matthew, Jesus goes to John for baptism, but John refuses because he feels unworthy.
Unlike Mark, Matthew criticizes the Pharisees and Sadducees, calling them a “brood of vipers.” He teaches that the kingdom of heaven is near and that judgment is coming. Matthew shortens the story of John’s execution and adds that Herod Antipas wants John dead, with his disciples later telling Jesus about it. Matthew focuses more on John as a model for Jesus rather than on Herod.
The Gospel of Luke includes a story about John’s birth. He is the son of Zechariah, a priest, and Elizabeth, who was too old to have children. An angel named Gabriel told Zechariah about John’s birth while he was serving in the temple. Luke describes John as a descendant of Aaron through both parents. Because of this, the Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran church calendars celebrate John’s birth on June 24, six months before Christmas.
Luke mentions Elizabeth is a relative of Mary, Jesus’ mother, but other Gospels do not describe a family connection between John and Jesus. Scholars like Raymond E. Brown and Géza Vermes suggest this relationship may not be historically accurate. Luke’s story of John’s birth is similar to the Old Testament story of Samuel’s birth, which may influence how Luke describes Jesus’ birth.
In Luke’s Gospel, John teaches charity, baptizes tax collectors, and gives advice to soldiers. He also teaches his disciples to pray. Frederic Farrar notes that John travels to reach people, while other Gospels describe people coming to him. Luke does not include the story of Herod’s stepdaughter dancing and requesting John’s head.
The Book of Acts mentions some of John’s followers becoming followers of Jesus, a detail also noted in the Gospel of Matthew about Andrew, Peter’s brother.
The Gospel of John describes John the Baptist as a man sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus. John says he is not the Christ, Elijah, or the prophet, but a “voice crying in the wilderness.” He testifies that Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and calls him the “Lamb of God.”
John’s disciples are baptizing people, and a debate occurs between some of John’s followers and another Jew about purification. John argues that Jesus must become greater, while he must become less. The Gospel notes that Jesus’ disciples baptize more people than John. It also says Jesus regarded John as “a burning and shining lamp.”
All four Gospels begin Jesus’ ministry with the appearance of John the Baptist. Some scholars believe the Gospels portray John as a prophetic figure for Jesus rather than as a historical leader who worked alongside Jesus.
The Gospel of Mark quotes a prophecy from Isaiah, Malachi, and Exodus about a messenger preparing the way for the Lord. Matthew and Luke do not include the first part of this prophecy.
The Gospels differ in details about Jesus’ baptism. In Mark and Luke, Jesus sees the heavens open and hears a voice saying, “You are my dearly loved son; you bring me great joy.” These Gospels do not clarify if others saw or heard this.
In Josephus'sAntiquities of the Jews
An account of John the Baptist appears in all known copies of the Antiquities of the Jews (book 18, chapter 5, section 2), written by Flavius Josephus (37–100):
Some Jews believed that the defeat of Herod Antipas’s army was a punishment from God for killing John the Baptist. They described John as a good man who taught the Jewish people to live righteously, treat others kindly, and show respect to God. He encouraged people to be baptized with water, which he said was a way to purify the body, but only after the soul had already been made pure through good actions. Many people listened to John and followed his teachings. Herod feared that John’s influence over the people might lead them to rebel against him. To stop this, Herod ordered John’s execution. John was imprisoned and later killed at Macherus, a fortress mentioned earlier. Some Jews believed that Herod’s military defeat was God’s punishment for killing John.
This passage suggests that John’s death may have occurred around the time of Herod’s army defeat in AD 36. However, Josephus also wrote that John was killed after Herod ended his marriage to Aretas’s daughter. This event began a conflict between Herod and Aretas, which later led to a war.
Scholar John Dominic Crossan compares Josephus’s descriptions of John and Jesus. He explains that John had exclusive control over his movement, while Jesus’s movement was more widespread. To stop John’s movement, people only needed to stop him, as his followers relied on him. In contrast, Jesus invited others to join him in living a life of spiritual leadership. His followers could continue this way of life even if Jesus was no longer present, unlike John’s followers.
Relics
Matthew 14:12 states that "his disciples came and took away [John's] body and buried it." Theologian Joseph Benson mentions a belief that this happened because "it seems that the body had been thrown over the prison walls, without burial, probably by order of Herodias."
The fate of John the Baptist's head is unclear. Ancient historians Josephus, Nicephorus, and Symeon Metaphrastes believed that Herodias had it buried in the fortress of Machaerus.
An Eastern Orthodox tradition says that after burial, John's followers found the head and took it to the Mount of Olives, where it was buried and discovered twice. These events are celebrated in the Orthodox Church as the First and Second Finding of the Head of St. John the Baptist. Other sources suggest the head was buried in Herod's palace in Jerusalem. It was later found during the reign of Constantine and secretly moved to Emesa (modern Homs, Syria), where it was hidden for many years. It was discovered in 452, an event celebrated as the Third Finding in the Orthodox Church.
Two Catholic churches and one mosque claim to have the head of John the Baptist: the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria; the church of San Silvestro in Capite in Rome; and Amiens Cathedral in France. The French king reportedly brought it from Constantinople after the Fourth Crusade. A fourth claim is made by the Residenz Museum in Munich, Germany, which houses a reliquary believed by the Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria to contain the head of Saint John.
According to Christian Arab Ibn Butlan, the church of Cassian in Antioch held the right arm of John the Baptist until it was smuggled to Chalcedon and later to Constantinople. An Orthodox Christian monastery in Cetinje, Montenegro, and the Catholic Cathedral of Siena, Italy, both claim to have John the Baptist's right arm and hand, which he used to baptize Jesus. In 1464, Pope Pius II donated what was identified as the right arm and hand of John the Baptist to the Siena Cathedral. The donation document describes the relic as "the arm of blessed John the Baptist. And this is the very arm that baptized the Lord." The relic is displayed annually on the high altar of the Siena Cathedral in June.
Topkapi Palace in Istanbul claims to have John the Baptist's right hand index finger.
John the Baptist's right hand is said to be preserved in the Armenian Apostolic Church of St. John at Chinsurah, West Bengal, India. Each year on "Chinsurah Day" in January, the hand is used to bless Armenian Christians in Calcutta.
The decapitation cloth of Saint John, which covered his head after his execution, is said to be kept at the Aachen Cathedral in Germany.
According to Armenian tradition, the remains of John the Baptist may have been moved by Gregory the Illuminator to the Saint Karapet Armenian Monastery.
In 2010, bones were discovered in the ruins of a Bulgarian church in the St. John the Forerunner Monastery (4th–17th centuries) on the Black Sea island of Sveti Ivan. After DNA and radiocarbon testing confirmed the bones belonged to a Middle Eastern man who lived in the first century AD, scientists suggested the remains might belong to John the Baptist. The bones, found in a reliquary, are now kept in the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Sozopol.
The Coptic Orthodox Church also claims to hold relics of Saint John the Baptist. A crypt and relics believed to be his were discovered in 1969 during the restoration of the Church of St. Macarius at the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great in Scetes, Egypt. These relics are mentioned in eleventh- and sixteenth-century manuscripts.
Additional relics are claimed to be in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist at Gandzasar Monastery in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The bone of one of John the Baptist's left fingers is said to be at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. It is displayed in a Gothic-style monstrance made of gilded silver from fourteenth-century Lower Saxony.
Another claim relates to the town of Halifax in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, where John the Baptist's head appears on the official coat-of-arms. One legend suggests the town's name comes from "halig" (holy) and "fax" (hair), possibly referring to a relic of the head or face of John the Baptist once existing in the town.
Religious views
The Gospels describe John the Baptist as having a role chosen by God to prepare the way for Jesus, who was the promised Messiah. The New Testament Gospels mention this role. In Luke 1:17, John’s role is described as helping people turn their hearts back to God and prepare a people ready for the Lord. In Luke 1:76, it says John would "go before the Lord to prepare his ways," and in Luke 1:77, it says he would "give knowledge of salvation to God’s people by forgiving their sins."
Old Testament passages are interpreted by Christians as predicting John’s role. One example is from the Book of Malachi, which speaks of a prophet who would "prepare the way of the Lord":
"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom you delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts."
At the end of the next chapter in Malachi 4:5–6, it says:
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
During Jesus’ time, Jews expected Elijah to come before the Messiah. Some Jews today still wait for Elijah’s return, as shown in the Cup of Elijah in the Passover Seder. This is why the disciples asked Jesus in Matthew 17:10, "Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?" Jesus explained that Elijah had already come in the form of John the Baptist:
"Jesus replied, 'Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.' Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist."
These passages are applied to John in the Synoptic Gospels. Matthew specifically says John the Baptist was Elijah’s spiritual successor, but Mark and Luke do not mention this. The Gospel of John says John denied being Elijah.
When Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites to ask John who he was, he said, "I am not the Christ." They asked, "Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." They asked, "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
Many scholars believe early Christians had contact with the Essene community, as seen in the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran. John the Baptist may have been an Essene or connected to the community. The Book of Acts says Paul met followers of John in Ephesus.
The Catholic Church honors Saint John the Baptist on two feast days. According to Frederick Holweck, John leaped in his mother’s womb when Mary visited Elizabeth, showing he was cleansed of original sin and filled with God’s grace. Saint Catherine of Siena wrote that John the Baptist never sinned, unlike herself.
Eastern Catholic and Orthodox churches believe John was the last Old Testament prophet, bridging the Old and New Covenants. They teach John preached in Hades after his death, confirming Jesus was the Messiah. Icons of John are displayed in churches, and he is remembered every Tuesday. The Eastern Orthodox Church honors John on six feast days, including 20 January, which is called "Jovanjdan" in the Serbian Orthodox Church. This day is a major celebration for families.
Other feast days include 5 September, commemorating John’s parents, Zacharias and Elizabeth. The Russian Orthodox Church observes 12 October as the Transfer of the Right Hand of the Forerunner.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that John was ordained by an angel at eight days old to prepare people for the Lord. They believe John was baptized as a child and appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829 to restore the Aaronic priesthood. Latter-day Saints see John as active in three eras: under the law of Moses, as a New Testament prophet, and as a modern figure restoring priesthood authority.
The Unification Church teaches John helped Jesus during his public ministry, urging Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah. John was meant to become Jesus’ main disciple, and his followers were to become Jesus’ disciples.
Scholarship
Scholars have studied how John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth approached their roles differently.
James F. McGrath explains that in the early 1900s, scholars examined the Mandaeans, a religious group that highly respected John the Baptist. Some believed the Mandaeans might be descendants of John’s followers. Many historians think Jesus was once a follower of John before starting his own movement, and McGrath agrees with this idea.
L. Michael White describes John the Baptist as a religious leader who encouraged people to return to a strong Jewish way of life. He called for baptism as a way to show commitment to God and purity.
John Dominic Crossan sees John the Baptist as someone who believed God would soon end evil in the world. He views Jesus as someone who shifted focus from God’s immediate action to human responsibility for fighting evil.
Michael H. Crosby states that the Bible does not show John the Baptist becoming a disciple of Jesus. He believes John’s ideas about the Messiah differed from Jesus’ teachings, which made him unable to follow Jesus. Crosby notes that John’s influence in helping others follow Jesus was limited, as only two of his followers became Jesus’ disciples. Charles Croll points out that five of John’s disciples followed Jesus, and four of them became apostles.
Professor Candida Moss says John and Jesus were seen as competitors in religious teachings. After baptizing Jesus, John continued his own ministry and did not follow Jesus. After John’s death, Jesus’ followers had to prove Jesus was not John raised from the dead. Moss also mentions a story where some people thought Jesus was John the Baptist.
Pastor Robert L. Deffinbaugh believes John sent two disciples to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah. He suggests John might have wanted the Kingdom of God to arrive more dramatically than Jesus’ teachings showed. Jesus responded by describing his miracles and teachings as proof of his identity. Charles Croll argues that John realized his role as a preparer for Jesus was complete and that he was now testifying about Jesus’ identity. Jesus confirmed John’s role as a prophet and affirmed his message.
Harold W. Attridge agrees that John was an apocalyptic preacher. He says the idea that John was Jesus’ forerunner was created by the early church to explain their relationship. Scholars believe it was difficult for the early church to accept that Jesus was baptized by someone they considered less important.
Barbara Thiering questions the dates of the Dead Sea Scrolls and suggests the Teacher of Righteousness, a leader of the Essenes, may have been John the Baptist. She notes similarities in their teachings and lifestyle. Charles Croll argues that the similarities between John and the Essenes are only surface-level, and there are many differences between them.
In art
Early pictures of St. John can be seen in the Baptism of Christ, one of the first scenes from the Life of Christ to be often shown in Early Christian art. By the fifth century, artists had already created images of St. John with a tall, thin, and bearded appearance. Unlike other apostles, who usually had short hair, St. John and Jesus were often shown with long hair in Early Christian art. St. John was shown with long hair more often than Jesus.
In Byzantine and later Eastern Orthodox art, St. John the Baptist and the Holy Virgin Mary were often placed on either side of Jesus. A scene called the Deesis, where St. John and the Theotokos (Mary, the "God-bearer") stand beside a Christ Pantocrator and pray for people, became a common feature in Eastern Orthodox churches and is still used today.
In Eastern Orthodox icons, St. John is sometimes shown with angel wings because the Bible, specifically Mark 1:2, describes him as a messenger.
After the earliest images of the Baptism of the Lord, artists began showing St. John as an ascetic, wearing camel hair, holding a staff, and carrying a scroll with the words "Ecce Agnus Dei" (meaning "Behold the Lamb of God") in Western art. Some images also show him with a book or a dish holding a lamb.
St. John the Baptist is often shown in altarpieces for churches named after him, especially when the donor (the person who paid for the artwork) had his name or when there was a connection to him. He is the patron saint of Florence and appears often in art from that city. He is also frequently shown in baptistries, which are often named after him. Important artworks of St. John can be found in the Florence Baptistery, including mosaics on the ceiling, bronze doors by Andrea Pisano, and a large silver altar now in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.
Many scenes from St. John's life were shown on the bottom part of altarpieces dedicated to him. These scenes also appear in frescoes, such as those by Giotto in the Peruzzi Chapel in Santa Croce, a large series in grisaille fresco in the Chiostro dello Scalzo by Andrea del Sarto, and a frescoed Life of St. John by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, all in Florence. Another important fresco cycle by Filippo Lippi is in Prato Cathedral. These scenes include the Annunciation to Zechariah, St. John's birth, his naming, the Visitation, his journey to the desert, his preaching, the Baptism of Christ, St. John before Herod, Salome's dance, his beheading, and Salome carrying his head on a platter.
St. John's birth, which allowed artists to show a wealthy home, became a popular subject in the late Middle Ages. Jan van Eyck and Ghirlandaio created well-known depictions of this event. His execution, which was a church feast day, was also often shown. By the fifteenth century, scenes like Salome's dance became popular. In some artworks, such as an engraving by Israhel van Meckenem, the focus was on showing Herod's court with modern clothing rather than St. John's martyrdom. St. John was usually shown kneeling in prayer, with Salome holding an empty platter, and Herod and Herodias at a table in the background.
The image of Salome carrying St. John's head on a platter became part of a group of artworks called "The Power of Women," which showed glamorous but dangerous women like Delilah and Judith. Artists such as Lucas Cranach the Elder and the Little Masters often painted or engraved these scenes. When Salome brought the head to the table, Herod was sometimes shown as surprised or disgusted, but Herodias was usually not. These images remained popular through the Baroque period, with Carlo Dolci painting at least three versions. St. John preaching in a landscape was a common subject in Dutch art, especially by Pieter Brueghel the Elder and his followers. The image of St. John's severed head, often on a platter, was a frequent subject in sculpture from the late Middle Ages onward and was called "Ioannes in disco" (Latin for "John on a plate").
As a child, St. John was sometimes shown in family scenes from the life of Christ, such as the Holy Family, the Presentation of Christ, the Marriage of the Virgin, and the Holy Kinship. In the Baptism of Christ, his presence was required. Leonardo da Vinci's two versions of the Virgin of the Rocks helped set a Renaissance trend for artworks showing the Madonna and Child with St. John. Raphael painted many compositions of this subject, including the Alba Madonna, La belle jardinière, the Garvagh Madonna, the Madonna della seggiola, and the Madonna dell'Im
Commemoration
Christian festivals linked to Saint John the Baptist are celebrated on different dates by various religious groups. These festivals honor events in his life, including his birth, death, and the baptism of Jesus. The Eastern Church has special days for finding his head (first, second, and third finding) and for his parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah. In the Russian Orthodox Church, there is a feast day for the moving of the Right Hand of the Forerunner from Malta to Gatchina.
The Feast of the Nativity of Saint John closely matches the June solstice, also called Midsummer in the Northern Hemisphere. This Christian holiday is fixed on June 24, but in most places, celebrations occur the night before, on Saint John’s Eve. In England, "Saint John’s Tide" is tied to midsummer celebrations, and June 24 was chosen as the date. This may relate to Saint John’s words, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30), referring to Jesus.
Saint John the Baptist’s beheading is believed to have happened in Machaerus, central Jordan. In Spain, he was honored during the Alhansara festival in Granada and in Gaztelugatxe. In the United Kingdom, Saint John is the patron saint of Penzance, Cornwall, and Perth, Scotland, which was once called St. John’s Toun of Perth. The main church in Perth is the medieval Kirk of St. John the Baptist, and the city’s football team is named St. Johnstone F.C.
In Portugal, Saint John is celebrated as the patron saint of Porto on the night of June 23 to 24. An article from 2004 in The Guardian noted that Porto’s Festa de São João is one of Europe’s liveliest street festivals but is less known outside the country.
As the patron saint of the Knights of the Hospital of Saint John, he is also the patron of the Knights Hospitaller of Jerusalem, Malta, Florence, Cesena, Turin, and Genoa, Italy, as well as of Malta as a whole and the towns of Xewkija and Gozo, which hold a major feast near June 24.
In Brazil, Saint John’s Day on June 24 is a key date in the country’s traditional June Festivals, called "Festas Juninas." These events celebrate rural heritage and Catholic traditions, honoring Saint John the Baptist. Cities like Campina Grande and Caruaru in the Northeast host large celebrations with bonfires, square dances, fireworks, and foods made from corn and peanuts, such as "pamonha" and "pé-de-moleque." In the Amazon region, the "Festival de Parintins" includes the "Boi-Bumbá" folklore, blending indigenous, African, and European cultural elements.
Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of Puerto Rico and its capital, San Juan. The island was officially named "San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico" in 1521, following a naming tradition. Over time, the names "San Juan Bautista" and "Puerto Rico" were used for both the city and island, leading to a reversal in terminology due to a map error. Puerto Rico’s official motto includes the saint’s name: "Joannes Est Nomen Eius."
He is also the patron saint of French Canada and Newfoundland. Canadian cities like St. John’s, Newfoundland (1497), Saint John, New Brunswick (1604), and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec (1665), were named in his honor. In Quebec, June 24 is celebrated as the Fête Nationale du Québec, and in Newfoundland, it was previously called Discovery Day.
Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, covering South Carolina in the United States. In the Philippines, towns such as Calamba, Laguna, and San Juan, Metro Manila, venerate him as their patron. A common tradition during his feast day is bathing or dousing people, similar to customs in other cultures.
Quiapo Church in Manila, famous for the Black Nazarene, is also dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Religious groups named "Baptistines" have included references to John the Baptist in their titles. He is also the name-giving patron of the Knights Hospitaller, or Knights of Saint John. Along with John the Evangelist, John the Baptist is claimed as a patron saint by the Freemasons, a fraternal society.