The Holy Innocents

About The Holy Innocents

The Gospel according to Matthew tells that Herod ordered the killing of boys in Bethlehem aged two and under, and connects the event with a quotation from Jeremiah. The text does not provide names or a count. The Christian liturgical tradition commemorates the children collectively as the Holy Innocents; Vatican News lists their feast on December 28. The narrative does not identify the individual children or their number.