Linus

Who they were

Linus, from Tuscany, is said to have studied at Volterra before coming to Rome, where he met St Peter and became a Christian. St Irenaeus says that Peter and Paul entrusted the office of bishop to him, and identifies him with the Linus of the Second Letter to Timothy; every list of the bishops of Rome names him after Peter.

He lived through Nero's persecution and led the Church in turbulent years, ordaining bishops and priests. The Liber Pontificalis says he was buried on the Vatican hill beside St Peter.

The miracles

There was never a formal cause: Linus has been honoured as a saint since the early Church. He is venerated as a martyr, though it is not certain that he was one.

Why that counted as sanctity

Linus, the first successor of St Peter, held the young Church of Rome together after the deaths of the two great apostles.

Connected on this site

• Claudia Saint Parent, Mother
• Paul the Apostle Saint
  “Linus is mentioned in the valediction of the Second Epistle to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:21) as being with Paul the Apostle in Rome near the end of Paul's life.” — Wikipedia