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Acacius of Melitene
bishop of Melitene ca. 430-438
SaintResearchedPre-congregation
Feast: 17 April (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
370
Died
435
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
At Melitene in ancient Armenia, Saint Acacius, bishop, who, for having defended the right faith against Nestorius at the Council of Ephesus, was unjustly deposed from his see.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Roman Martyrology remembers him on 17 April as a bishop of Melitene who defended the faith against Nestorius at the Council of Ephesus.
Connected on this site
- Acathius Saint“He is not to be confused with the later Acacius of Melitene, conspicuous as an opponent of Nestorius and a participant at the Council of Ephesus in 431.” — Wikipedia
- Cyril of Alexandria Saint“He was an opponent of Nestorius and close ally of Cyril of Alexandria at the Council of Ephesus of 431.” — Wikipedia
Sources
- Roman Martyrology, 17 April (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q7129224 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Acacius II of Melitene (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.