The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Vitus
fl. AD 314 (death unrecorded) · Presbyter of Rome · Legate of Sylvester at Arles · Rome → Arelate (Arles)
The Nicene Age
Who Vitus was
The second of the two Roman presbyters sent to Arles in 314, subscribing the acts beside Claudianus for the absent Sylvester.
Sylvester of Rome did not come to Arles himself: he sent two presbyters and two deacons, and the council addressed its letter back to him as an absent father. **It is the earliest clear case of a bishop of Rome being represented at a council by legates rather than attending**, a practice that shaped every later council in the West.
⚠ Distinct from every later Vitus in the martyr calendars, and distinct from the Vitus who is named among Sylvester's legates at Nicaea eleven years later — the archive does not merge the two on the strength of a shared name.
Named once, in the subscription of the Council of Arles (314); no other ancient source names him.
Common questions
When was Vitus active?
Vitus is dated fl. AD 314 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Vitus in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Vitus?
Vitus is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from The Council of Arles. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Vitus from?
The archive associates Vitus with Rome, Arelate (Arles). The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Vitus’ contemporaries?
The archive links Vitus to 3 other figures, including Marinus of Arles, Chrestus of Syracuse and Constantine the Great. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (1)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
The Synodal Letter of the Council of Arles to Pope Sylvester — the subscription list
c. AD 314To the most beloved Pope Silvester: Marinus, Acratius, Natalis, Theodore, Proterius, Vocius, Verus, Probatius, Caecilian, Faustinus, Surgentius, Gregory, Reticius, Ambitausus, Termatius, Merocles, Pardus, Adelfius, Hibernius, Fortunatus, Aristasius, Lampadius, Vitalis, Maternus, Liberius, Gregory, Crescens, Avitianus, Dafnus, Orantalis, Quintasius, Victor, Epictetus, eternal health in the Lord!The Council of Arles · Letter of the Council of Arles to Sylvester · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Vitus, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.