Saint Pacian (''Pacianus'') ( ca, Sant Pacià) (c. 310–391 AD) was a
bishop of Barcelona during the fourth century. He was bishop from about 365 AD to 391 AD, succeeding Praetextatus (''Pretextat''), who had attended a church council at
Sardica in 347 AD and who is the first recorded bishop of Barcelona.
Considered a
Father of the Church, Pacian is eulogized in
Jerome's ''
De viris illustribus'', in which Jerome praises his eloquence, learning, chastity, and holiness of life.
His writings are extant only in part in three letters and a short treatise, ''Paraenesis ad Poenitentiam''.
[St. Pacian – Catholic Online](_blank)
/ref> In his writings, he discussed ecclesiastical discipline, baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
, papal primacy, and teachings on penance
Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of repentance for sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. It also plays a pa ...
against Novatianism
Novatianism or Novationism was an early Christian sect devoted to the theologian Novatian ( 200–258) that held a strict view that refused readmission to communion of '' lapsi'' (those baptized Christians who had denied their faith or performed ...
, which was then flourishing in Spain. He is also remembered from a phrase from one of his letters: ''Christianus mihi nomen est, catholicus vero cognomen'' ("My name is Christian, my surname is Catholic.").
Pacian was married and had a son, Flavius Lucius Dexter, who served as high chamberlain to Theodosius I
Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...
and as praetorian prefect to Honorius.
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Catalan Roman Catholic saints
Saints from Hispania
Bishops of Barcelona
4th-century bishops in Hispania
4th-century Latin writers
391 deaths
Church Fathers
Latin letter writers
4th-century Christian saints
310 births