Pope
St. Stephen I with Madonna and Saints
PIETRO DA CORTONA
1628
The Saint succeeded
St. Lucius I as Pontiff during the reign of Emperor Valerian. During
his three-year reign [254-257], he was faced with the problem of the
readmission of
the lapsed Catholics who had renounced the Faith out of fear of
persecution, and now wanted to return to the Church. He sided with
them, declaring that they were not to be reBaptized as some Churchmen
thought they ought to be. He also dealt with liturgical matters, such
as vestments, outlawing their use by anyone other than a member of the
clergy and the lower orders. On his death he was buried in the Calixtus
Cemetery on the Appian Way. Shortly after he died Valerian began
persecuting the Christians; sometimes Stephen is referred to as a
Martyr, because of the closeness of the dates. In art he is shown in
papal robes but without any other symbol as such. His name means
"crowned" in Greek.
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