The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Agapitus the Deacon
d. 6 August AD 258 (martyr) · Deacon of Rome · Martyr · Rome
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Agapitus the Deacon was
Deacon of Pope Xystus II, killed with him and with Felicissimus in the cemetery of Praetextatus on 6 August 258. The Chronograph of 354 records the deposition of the pair on the same day as their bishop’s, and Damasus later cut a verse over their tomb. Distinct from Agapitus of Praeneste and from the later Pope Agapitus.
Also listed in martyrs.
Common questions
When did Agapitus die?
Agapitus the Deacon is dated d. 6 August AD 258 (martyr) in the archive, which places Agapitus in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313).
Which early sources mention Agapitus?
Agapitus the Deacon is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from The chronographer of 354 and Damasus of Rome. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Agapitus from?
The archive associates Agapitus the Deacon with Rome.
Who were Agapitus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Agapitus the Deacon to 2 other figures, including Felicissimus the Deacon and Damasus I of Rome. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
The Chronograph of 354, Depositio Martyrum — 6 August
c. AD 258[Deposited on the same day as Xystus, in the cemetery of Praetextatus.]The chronographer of 354 · Depositio Martyrum, VIII Idus Aug. · source text
The Damasan epigram Ferrua 25, cemetery of Praetextatus, cut by Furius Dionysius Filocalus at the martyr’s tomb
c. AD 375[Named with Felicissimus in the Damasan epigram for the deacons of Xystus.]Damasus of Rome · Damasan epigram, Ferrua 25, cemetery of Praetextatus · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 190 · The Quartodeciman controversy, AD 190
- AD 202 · Perpetua and Felicity martyred, AD 202
- AD 235 · Maximinus Thrax targets the clergy, AD 235
- AD 250 · The Decian persecution, AD 250
- AD 251 · The Novatianist schism, AD 251
- AD 257 · The Valerian persecution, AD 257
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Agapitus.
- 1Rome