St. Fabian

St. Fabian (died January 20, 250, Rome [Italy]; feast day January 20) was the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, from 236 to 250. After succeeding St. Anterus, Fabian proved to be an outstanding administrator and one of the great popes of the early church. He is venerated as a patron saint of Rome.

According to the 4th-century church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, Fabian was chosen as pope because a dove (a traditional Christian symbol of the Holy Spirit) alighted on his head as the clergy and people of Rome were deciding on a bishop. Fabian supposedly divided Rome into seven districts assigned to the seven deacons and is said to have founded several churches in France. His appointment of notaries to register the deeds of Christian martyrs reflected the increasing precision with which the Roman Catholic Church began to keep records during his time.

Fabian was martyred during the Roman emperor Decius’s persecution of Christians and was succeeded by St. Cornelius. He was buried in the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, but his body was later moved to St. Sebastian’s, where his tomb was found in 1915.