Pope Felix I

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Felix I
Birth name Felix
Papacy began January 5, 269
Papacy ended December 30, 274
Predecessor Dionysius
Successor Eutychian
Born  ???
Rome, Italy
Died December 30, 274
Rome, Italy
Other popes named Felix
Styles of
Pope Felix I
Reference style His Holiness
Spoken style Your Holiness
Religious style Holy Father
Posthumous style Saint

Pope Saint Felix I was pope from January 5, 269 to December 30, 274.

A Roman by birth, he succeeded Dionysius after his death on December 26, 268 as pope, being elected in January 269. Regarding his pontificate there is little authentic information, but he is said to have given ecclesiastical sanction to the yearly celebration of the mass over the graves of the martyrs, a custom, however, which had previously existed; and the law regarding the consecration of churches is also ascribed to him. On account of, it is said, his having strongly supported the Christians during the persecutions under the emperor Aurelian, he was enrolled among the martyrs, his feast day being 30 December, the date of his death in 274.

He was later confused with a saint whose feast is on 30 May, a martyr who was buried on the Via Aurelia outside Rome.[1]

A fragment of a letter to Maximus, bishop of Alexandria, in support of the doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation against the arguments of Paul of Samosata, was in all probability written by Felix, but three other letters ascribed to him are certainly not genuine.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 125

[edit] External links

Roman Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Dionysius
Bishop of Rome
Pope

January 5, 269December 30, 274
Succeeded by
Eutychian
Personal tools