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The saints

Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus

A pope and the rival who had opposed him, reconciled in the mines of Sardinia.

Feast: 13 August · died about 235 · The early Church · Rome and Sardinia

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Medallion portrait of Pope St. Pontian, bearded, with a halo.

Unknown author. Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

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The mines of Sardinia, 235

Hippolytus was a learned Roman priest who had broken with the popes and set himself up as a rival bishop.1

When the emperor Maximinus began persecuting Church leaders in 235, both Pontian and Hippolytus were banished to Sardinia.1

Pontian resigned so Rome could elect a new pope.

Patronage No official patronage we can cite yet. The Church remembers them as a pope and an antipope reconciled in exile.

01Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus

Reconciled

Around the same time, Hippolytus was reconciled to the Church, and his schism ended.1

Both died there, and their bodies were brought back to Rome.1

Live it this week

Make up with a rival

Pontian and Hippolytus were rivals until suffering brought them together. This week, reach out to someone you’ve been competing or fighting with and find one thing to do together.

Notes

How we know · 1 source for this page
  1. Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Pope St. Pontian”. New Advent edition. newadvent.org

The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) is in the public domain; we quote the New Advent edition. Texts of the Holy See are quoted briefly from vatican.va. Scripture: World English Bible, Catholic edition (public domain); Verse numbers are modern, with Douay-Rheims numbers in brackets where they differ. Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, credited under each image; full list on the photo credits page.

Lines in the narrator’s voice, without a note, are our reflection, not a historical claim. Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words; our wording is not an official Church text. Report an errorCorrections.