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Basil of Amasea
bishop and saint
SaintResearchedAncient RomePre-congregation
Feast: 26 April (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
296
Died
322
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Basileus, Bishop of Amasea in Pontus, signed the acts of the Councils of Ancyra and Neocaesarea in 314. St Athanasius names 'the great Basileus of Pontus' among the bishops who held firmly to the true faith about the Son.
According to Eusebius's Chronicle he was martyred in the reign of Licinius, between 321 and 324, when the Christians of Amasea were treated with great cruelty.
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 held to the faith and died a martyr.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Basil of Amasea
- Wikidata Q1136050 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Basil of Amasea (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.