Hieromartyr 3rd century

Hieromartyr Fabian Pope of Rome, and Martyr Pontius

Both martyred in the mid-third century; Fabian died in 250, Pontius about 257.

Also known as Fabian of Rome · Pontius

A bishop of Rome who fearlessly buried the bodies of the martyrs and ordered the care of the Church, and was himself martyred under Decius, together with his companion Pontius.

Feast Day

August 5

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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Fabian, Pope of Rome, and the Holy Martyr Pontius the Senator

Life

Saint Fabian was bishop of Rome from 236 to 250, in the years between the persecutions, and is commemorated in the Orthodox Church together with the Roman senator Pontius, his close companion. Fabian was martyred at the outset of the persecution under the emperor Decius, while Pontius, who survived him, was beheaded several years later under Valerian.

Both saints belong to the undivided pre-schism Church of the West and are venerated as Orthodox saints. In the Orthodox calendar they share the feast of August 5; in the Western churches Fabian is commemorated on January 20.

Timeline 5 moments Read Hide

236 Elected bishop of Rome Fabian succeeded Pope Anterus and became bishop of Rome on January 10, 236. According to the account preserved by Eusebius of Caesarea, as various churchmen were being considered, a dove descended and alighted on Fabian's head, and the assembly proclaimed him by acclamation.
236 to 250 Reorganization of the Roman church Fabian divided the Christian communities of Rome into seven districts, each placed under a deacon, and according to the Liber Pontificalis carried out many works in the cemeteries and catacombs. Around 245 he sent seven bishops as missionaries into Gaul.
c. 245 Conversions at the imperial court During the relative peace under the emperors Gordian and Philip, Fabian and the senator Pontius brought the emperor Philip and his son to the Christian faith through their preaching, and with imperial leave replaced a statue of Jupiter with a church.
250 Martyrdom of Fabian When Decius came to power and renewed persecution, Fabian accepted death for Christ at the beginning of the persecution, on January 20, 250. He was buried in the Catacomb of Callixtus, where his Greek tomb inscription naming him bishop and martyr survives.
c. 257 Martyrdom of Pontius After Fabian's death Pontius withdrew to Cimella, on the border of Italy and Gaul. Under the persecution of Valerian he refused to worship idols, was imprisoned and tortured, and was finally beheaded about the year 257; his friend Valerius buried him.

Contributions & Legacy

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Fabian's episcopate

Before his election Fabian was a presbyter of the Roman church who fearlessly gave burial to the bodies of the martyrs. He was born at Rome, and according to the Liber Pontificalis came of a noble Roman family. His fourteen-year episcopate fell largely within a lull in persecution under the emperors Gordian and Philip, which allowed the Roman church to organize and build.

He divided the city into seven districts, each supervised by a deacon, and appointed subdeacons to gather the records of the martyrs' trials. He directed substantial work in the cemeteries and catacombs and, taking advantage of his standing under Philip, recovered the bodies of Pope Pontian and Hippolytus from the mines of Sardinia, arranging Christian burial for them in the catacombs.

Pontius the senator

Pontius was a Roman senator who used his position to protect and assist the Church and was a close friend of Fabian, who is said to have loved him as a son. Together they distributed their wealth for the relief of the poor. By his preaching he is credited with bringing his father Marcus, the emperor Philip and his son, and many other prominent Romans to the faith. By one account he was baptized by Pope Pontianus together with his friend Valerius, who afterward wrote his life.

When Decius's persecution began Pontius fled Rome and hid in the foothills of the Alps, settling at Cimella. He was captured under Valerian and subjected to severe tortures, during which, according to his vita, miracles took place and many were converted. He was at last beheaded and buried by his friend Valerius.

Veneration

Fabian was interred in the Catacomb of Callixtus in Rome, in the crypt of the bishops of Rome, where his Greek tomb inscription identifying him as bishop and martyr has endured. His relics were later reinterred by Pope Clement XI at the church of San Sebastiano fuori le mura.

The Orthodox Church commemorates Fabian and Pontius together on August 5. In the Roman Catholic and Anglican calendars Fabian is kept on January 20, shared with Saint Sebastian.

Notes

Pre-schism Western saints.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints