Jonah the Prophet

marble statue of Jonah the Prophet, by Lorenzetto, 1519-20, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, ItalyAlso known as

  • Ionas
  • Jonas
  • Yona
  • Yunaan
  • Yunus

Memorial

Profile

Old Testament patriarch and prophet. Hero of the Book of Jonah, he was so reluctant to deliver his prophecy against the city of Nineveh that God had to have him swallowed by a giant fish and then spat out on the city’s shore.

Died

  • c.761 B.C.
  • tradition says he was buried in a tomb in modern Mosul, Iraq
  • the tomb was enclosed in a shrine in the 8th century BC
  • the tomb and shrine were destroyed by Muslims in July 2014

Canonized

Additional Information

MLA Citation

  • “Jonah the Prophet“. CatholicSaints.Info. 2 October 2020. Web. 17 January 2021. <>