Pope Pontian or Pontianus was Pope from 21 July 230 to 29 September 235.
A little more is known of Pontian than his predecessors, apparently from a lost papal chronicle that was available to the compiler of the Liberian Catalogue of bishops of Rome, made in the fourth century.
During his pontificate the schism of Hippolytus of Rome came to an end. Pontian and other church leaders (among them Hippolytus) were exiled by the emperor Maximinus Thrax to Sardinia, and in consequence of this sentence he resigned on 25 or 28 September 235. It is unknown how long he lived in exile: according to Liber Pontificalis he died due to the inhuman treatment and hardships he received in the Sardinian mines. According to tradition, he died on the island of Tavolara.
His feast day was 19 November, but he is now celebrated jointly with Hippolytus on 13 August.
His remains were brought to Rome by Pope Fabian and buried in the Catacomb of Pope Callixtus I. His epitaph was rediscovered in 1909 in the Catacomb of Callixtus, near the papal crypt, reading "PONTIANOS, EPISK.". The inscription "MARTUR" had been added in another hand.
Famous quotes containing the word pope:
“Is it, in Heav’n, a crime to love too well?
To bear too tender or too firm a heart,
To act a lover’s or a Roman’s part?”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)