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8th Roman Pontiff
St Telesphorus
TELESPHORVS
8th Successor of St Peter · 125–136 · Rome · b. Terra Nova, Italia, Roman Empire
125
Elected
136
Reign ended
11 years
Length
2nd
Century
The Life
A Roman of Greek descent, born in Italia, the homeland of the ancient Romans. Uncertain if he was a peregrinus (a free subject of the Roman Empire) or a Roman citizen. Feast day 5 January. Church Father St.
Irenaeus called him a great martyr; the earliest attested martyrdom of pope after St. Peter. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 22 February.
Portrait: Mattana / Wikimedia Commons