Pope Eutychian


Eutychian
Bishop of Rome
Eutychian's original epitaph from the catacomb of Callixtus — the bottom fragment reads “Eutychianos†Epis(kopos)” ("Bishop†Eutychian").
ChurchEarly Church
Papacy began4 January 275
Papacy ended7 December 283
PredecessorFelix I
SuccessorCaius
Personal details
Born
Died(283-12-07)7 December 283
Rome, Roman Empire
Sainthood
Feast day8 December

Pope Eutychian, also called Eutychianus (Greek: Ευτυχιανός, romanizedEutychianos), was the bishop of Rome from 4 January 275 to his death on 7 December 283.[2][3]

Eutychian's original epitaph was discovered in the catacomb of Callixtus (see Kraus, Roma sotterranea, p. 154 et seq.), but almost nothing more is known of him.[4] Even the date of his reign is uncertain. Liber Pontificalis gives a reign of 8 years and 11 months, from 275 to 283. Eusebius, on the other hand says his reign was only 10 months.[3]

Eutychian is said to have allowed the blessing of grapes and beans on the altar and to have buried 324 martyrs with his own hands. Some historians doubt these traditions, but others assert that persecutions continued until the Edict of Serdica was proclaimed in 311 by Emperor Galerius, making Christianity a legal and acceptable religion. The blessing of produce of the fields is believed by some to belong to a later period, but this cannot be verified.[5]

Eutychian's feast day is 8 December.[3]

  1. ^ The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Saint Eutychian". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  2. ^ Annuario Pontificio, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Kirsch, Johann Peter (1909). "Pope St. Eutychianus" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  4. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Eutychianus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 958.
  5. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainKirsch, Johann Peter (1909). "Pope St. Eutychianus". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company.