Pancras of Rome
Roman Catholic saint
Feast: 12 May (current Roman calendar, optional memorial) · not in the 1962 Missal
Who they were
Pancras was born in Phrygia in 289 to a wealthy pagan family of Roman origin. Orphaned as a child, he was taken to Rome by his uncle Dionysius, where they met the Christian community and were baptised by Pope Marcellinus.
In Diocletian's persecution the emperor himself offered to spare him if he would deny Christ. He refused and was martyred in 304, aged fourteen, and buried on the Via Aurelia, where Pope Symmachus later built a basilica over his tomb.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: Pancras has been honoured as a martyr since the fourth century.
Why that counted as sanctity
A boy of fourteen, a 'fighter' as his name says, stood firm before the emperor and chose Christ over his life.
Connected on this site
- Nereus and Achilleus Saint“From an early period, Pancras was venerated together with Nereus and Achilleus in a shared feast day and Mass formula on 12 May.” — Wikipedia
- Vatican News - Saint of the day (Italian): Pancras of Rome
- Wikidata Q336731 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Pancras of Rome (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.