The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Peter the Exorcist
d. c. AD 304 (beheaded) · Exorcist of Rome · Martyr of the Via Labicana · Rome
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Peter the Exorcist was
The exorcist martyred with the priest Marcellinus, remembered in legend for converting his own jailer's household and in the liturgy for the place his name holds, beside his companion's, in the Canon of the Mass. Constantine raised a basilica over their crypt and buried his mother Helena beside it — a boy's grave in a thicket become an imperial mausoleum's neighbour.
Also listed in martyrs and the great persecution.
Common questions
When did Peter die?
Peter the Exorcist is dated d. c. AD 304 (beheaded) in the archive, which places Peter in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Peter?
Peter the Exorcist is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Damasus I of Rome and Latin liturgical tradition. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Peter from?
The archive associates Peter the Exorcist with Rome.
Who were Peter’s contemporaries?
The archive links Peter the Exorcist to 2 other figures, including Marcellinus the Presbyter and Emperor Diocletian. 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 Epigrams of Damasus (on Marcellinus and Peter)
c. AD 375…that your bodies might lie hidden: but Lucilla, taught of heaven, gathered your relics, and the hidden place became a light to the world.Damasus I of Rome · source text
The Roman Canon (Nobis quoque)
c. AD 600…Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicity, Perpetua…Latin liturgical tradition · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 260 · Gallienus’ edict of toleration, AD 260
- AD 268 · Antioch deposes Paul of Samosata, AD 268
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Peter.
- 1Rome