Birthplace
Greece
Pope from
c. 127
Pope until
c. 137
Died
c. 137
Who he was
Telesphorus was the seventh Bishop of Rome after the Apostles and led the Church for about ten years under the Emperors Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. Tradition makes him a Greek.
What he is remembered for
He is the first pope after St Peter whose martyrdom is attested by an early writer: St Irenaeus calls it glorious. Irenaeus also names him among the Roman bishops who kept Easter on a Sunday while staying in communion with churches that did otherwise. His feast in the Roman Martyrology is 5 January.
He is honoured by the Church as Saint. Read his page in the dictionary of saints.
Sources
All popes · Home · All saints