Picture: Artaud de Montor (1772–1849) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Telesphorus
Bishop of Rome from c. 126 to c. 137
SaintResearchedRoman ItalyPre-congregation
Feast: 5 January (1962 Missal) · not on the current Roman calendar
Born
—
unknown
Died
130
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Telesphorus was the seventh bishop of Rome after the apostles, around 125-136. St Irenaeus testifies that he suffered a glorious martyrdom, and names him among the Roman bishops who always kept Easter on a Sunday while remaining in communion with the Churches that did not.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: Telesphorus has been honoured as a martyr since the second century.
Why that counted as sanctity
Telesphorus led the Church of Rome in its early generations and, St Irenaeus tells us, gave his life for Christ.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Pope St. Telesphorus
- Wikidata Q81647 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Pope Telesphorus (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.