Who he was
Clement was the fourth Bishop of Rome and the first of Peter's successors of whom something definite is known. St Irenaeus says he had seen the Apostles and heard their preaching himself. He is counted the first of the Apostolic Fathers, the writers who knew the Apostles or their disciples.
What he is remembered for
He is remembered above all for his Letter to the Corinthians, written around the end of Domitian's persecution to restore peace in a divided church, and one of the oldest Christian writings outside the New Testament. A later legend says he was exiled to the Crimea and drowned with an anchor, which became his emblem; the ancient Basilica of St Clement in Rome bears his name. His feast is 23 November.
He is honoured by the Church as Saint. Read his page in the dictionary of saints.
Sources
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