Pope Anterus

Anterus
Papacy began 21 November 235
Papacy ended 3 January 236
Predecessor Pontian
Successor Fabian
Personal details
Birth name Anterus
Born ???
 ???
Died 3 January 236(236-01-03)
Rome, Roman Empire

Pope Saint Anterus was Pope from 21 November 235 to 3 January 236, and succeeded Pope Pontian, who had been deported from Rome along with the antipope Hippolytus to Sardinia.

Anterus was the son of Romulus, born in Petilia Policastro.[1] He was pope for only one month and ten days,[2] and is thought to have been of Greek origin,[1] but the name could indicate that he was a freed slave.[2] He created one bishop for the city of Fondi.[1]

Martyrdom

Some scholars believe he was martyred,[1][3] because he ordered greater strictness in searching into the acts of the martyrs exactly collected by the notaries appointed by Saint Clement[disambiguation needed ].[1][4][clarification needed] Other scholars doubt this and believe it is more likely that he died in undramatic circumstances during the persecutions of Emperor Maximinus the Thracian.[2]

Tomb

He was buried in the papal crypt of the Catacomb of Callixtus on the Appian Way[1] in Rome. The site of his sepulchre was discovered by De Rossi in 1854, with some broken remnants of the Greek epitaph engraved on the narrow oblong slab that closed his tomb[4] and only the Greek term for bishop readable.[3]

His ashes had been removed to the Church of Saint Sylvester in the Campus Martius[1] and were discovered on 17 November 1595 when Pope Clement VIII rebuilt that church.[1]

References

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Pontian
Bishop of Rome
Pope

235–236
Succeeded by
Fabian