Skip to content
Pontian

File:Spinello_Aretino_008.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ132113· pop 80· linked from 1,727 articles

Also known as Pontianus, Pope Pontian

pope

OverviewAI-generated

Pontian was a male Catholic priest and Christian martyr who served as Pope during the Roman Empire. Born in Rome, he worked in that city and is recognized as a saint with a feast day on August 13. His name in the native language is Pontianus.

He died in 235 on Tavolara Island and was buried in the Catacomb of Callixtus. Pontian is included in the Popes collection and is described in sources such as the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition, and the New International Encyclopedia.

Synthesized by Vinony from 23 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, Vinony collections, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Gender
male
Place of birth
Rome
Place of death
Tavolara Island
Occupation
Catholic priest
Position held
Pope
Religion
Catholicism
Image
18-St.Pontian.jpg
Work location
Rome
Show 9 more facts
Commons category
Pontianus
date of death
0235-10-00
canonization status
saint
time period
Roman Empire
feast day
August 13
described by source
Wikitólica
place of burial
Catacomb of Callixtus
name in native language
Pontianus
subject has role
Pope
Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~3 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Pope Pontian (Latin: Pontianus; died October 235) was the bishop of Rome from 21 July 230 to 28 September 235. In 235, during the persecution of Christians in the reign of the Emperor Maximinus Thrax, Pontian was arrested and sent to the island of Sardinia.

He abdicated to make the election of a new pope possible. Resigning on 28 September 235, he was the first pope to do so. This allowed an orderly transition in the Church of Rome and so ended a schism that had existed in the Church for eighteen years. Some accounts say he was beaten to death only weeks after his arrival on Sardinia.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Pontian” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (3)