Paphnutius of Thebes
Egyptian saint
Feast: 11 September (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Commemoration of Saint Paphnutius, bishop in Egypt: he was one of those confessors of the faith condemned to the mines under the emperor Galerius Maximinus, after their right eye had been gouged out and the tendon of their left foot cut; he afterwards took part in the Council of Nicaea, where he fought strenuously for the Catholic faith against the Arians.
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 11 September as a bishop in Egypt, a confessor maimed for the faith who defended it at the Council of Nicaea.
Connected on this site
- Anthony the Great Saint“251 AD - died 4th century AD), also known as Paphnutius the Confessor, was a historical early Christian figure, said to be a disciple of Anthony the Great and a bishop of a city in the Upper Thebaid in the early fourth century.” — Wikipedia
- Roman Martyrology, 11 September (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q1394174 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Paphnutius of Thebes (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.