Acathius
bishop and saint (died c. 251)
Feast: 31 March (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Acacius was Bishop of Melitene in the third century, in the persecution of Decius. He was certainly called before the tribunal of Marcian to account for his faith and condemned to death, but after much suffering the emperor released him from prison; it is not certain that he died a martyr.
He was famous for the splendour of his teaching and for his miracles. The Greeks venerate him especially on 31 March.
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
A bishop who confessed his faith before a persecutor's tribunal.
Connected on this site
- Acacius of Melitene 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
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Acacius (Achatius)
- Wikidata Q350814 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Acathius I of Melitene (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.