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Sixtus III
Pope and bishop of Rome from 432 to 440
SaintResearchedPre-congregation
Feast: 18 August (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
390
Died
440
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Sixtus, prominent among the Roman clergy and a correspondent of St Augustine, became pope in 432. He approved the Council of Ephesus and worked for peace between St Cyril and John of Antioch.
He restored the basilica now called St Mary Major and enlarged St Lawrence Outside the Walls. He died in 440.
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 peacemaking pope who built St Mary Major.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Pope St. Sixtus III
- Wikidata Q167065 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Pope Sixtus III (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.