St. Polycarp was a disciple of St. John the Apostle; therefore, he was in the second generation after Christ and a contemporary of St. Ignatius of Antioch. St. Polycarp became Bishop of Smyrna, in present-day Turkey. Of his works, all that survive are "Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians" and "The Matyrdom of Polycarp". The "Martyrdom" is quoted in its majority by Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History.
St. Polycarp also sent a subdeacon to evangelize in Gaul (present-day France), St. Andeolus. St. Andeolus was martyred by the Roman Emperor Sepitimius Severus on May 1, 208 on the Rhone River. His sarcophagus was discovered in 1865.
By studying St. Polycarp, we can see how close we are in spirit to the Apostolic Age, and how the Orthodox Faith remains unchanged since Apostolic times. This is characterized, first of all, by love for the whole world, as demonstrated by Polycarp's prayers before his arrest.