With astonishing strength of spirit, this adolescent defied the man who held the greatest temporal power of his time. It was not two men who clashed, but rather two beliefs. It was the Mystical Body of Christ in conflict with paganism!
In his tragicomedy Le Cid, the famous seventeenth-century French playwright Pierre Corneille puts these words in the mouth of the protagonist, Don Rodrigo: “True, I am young, but for souls nobly born valour does not await the passing of years.”1
This beautiful and inspiring affirmation well describes the state of spirit of Pancras, a Saint who, in his youth, sealed the Faith that he had embraced with his own blood. In Greek, his name means, “invincible, victorious, all-conquering.”2
First contacts with the disciples of Jesus
He was born in Phrygia, Asia Minor, around the year 289, and although memory of him has faded with time, there is ample proof of the devotion he inspired in the Church in the first centuries, for his name and the date of his martyrdom were duly registered in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, in the Gelasian in the Gregorian Sacramentaries, as well as in other ancient texts.3
He was born into a wealthy and upright, albeit pagan family. His mother, Cyriada, died while giving birth to him, and when our martyr was only eight, his father, Cleonius, also departed from this life. However, before dying, he entrusted Pancras to the care of his brother, Dionysius, who assumed the role of tutor to his nephew and who strove to give him a good education.
With the intention of drawing him away from the painful loss of his parents and of giving him the opportunity to become acquainted with his other relatives, around 299 the boy’s uncle took him to the city of Rome, the centre of culture and sciences at the time, where he could also “prepare himself for a military or political career.”4 However, Providence had much greater things in store for him there: “The truth of the Gospel, Baptism and the crown of martyrdom.”5
The ship on which they travelled anchored at several port cities of Greece and the Italian Peninsula, thereby broadening the horizons of Pancras: the world was much larger than he imagined! Along the route, the child was surprised to see a group of young girls and boys in chains, being sold as slaves. Their faces were marked with suffering yet it seemed that they had done no wrong… Shocked by this sad spectacle, Pancras looked on as someone went up to the prisoners to offer them food and clothing; his uncle explained that he must have been a Christian, for their religion considered slavery an injustice.
Observing the ship passengers, he noted that some, in the evening, took their meal together, then listened to a reading, prayed, made the Sign of the Cross, manifested expressions of mutual affection and ministered to other passengers in need. Dionysius identified them as disciples of Jesus Christ, who had died in Jerusalem and, who according to them, had resurrected and ascended into Heaven, henceforth making Himself present in His disciples through the Holy Spirit.
Pancras was eager to know more about these people and, noting his uncle’s admiration for them, asked that he tell him about Jesus, His life and His teachings. However, Dionysius avoided doing so, limiting himself to saying that in his youth he had lived in Rome where he had Christian friends, several of whom had been condemned to death by Emperor Valerian, together with Sixtus II, the Supreme Pontiff at that time, and the famous Deacon Lawrence. Upon returning to Phrygia, he had lost all contact with them, but he assured Pancas that when they arrived in the Eternal City there would be an opportunity to meet with them.
Uncle and nephew become Christians
They finally landed in Ostia and set out for the southern part of the Eternal City, where the family mansion was located, in the elegant neighbourhood of the Caelian Hill, one of the seven hills upon which the city was founded.
Rome was one of the most attractive cities of the ancient world. It had schools of rhetoric, philosophy, medicine, art and trades. And, as Roman mythology had no dearth of gods, it was littered with temples. The pagan priests, however, were beleaguered with the decreasing number of their faithful, who were leaving in the same proportion as the Christian worshippers increased!
Seeing that the desire to know the disciples of Jesus was growing in the heart of Pancras, his uncle procured information on who was the highest ranking among them, their meeting place, and the best time to arrange contact with them.
Marcellinus, the 29th successor of Peter, was the Pontiff at the time. Ascetic, pious and chaste, he had expanded the most important Christian cemetery of Rome, the catacombs of St. Callixtus, and built tombs there for himself and his family; evidence of the peaceful scenario in which the followers of Jesus lived. Nevertheless, this state of affairs would not last long!…
Dionysius and his nephew were brought to him. The Pope welcomed them kindly and enrolled them in the catechumenate. Awestruck with what he learned each day about Jesus and His Gospel, Pancras felt that his deepest desires were being met. Concomitantly, his horror with the idolatry of the Romans heightened.
The Pontiff spared no effort in providing the two with religious instruction and taught them to make use of their abundant material goods to spread works of mercy. Thus, uncle and nephew learned how Christians should love one another and assist each other in their needs.
When their period of preparation was complete, they received Baptism with admirable devotion and fervour, “probably at Easter in 301,”6 becoming highly esteemed members of the Mystical Body of Christ, which was now enriched with these two heroes who would shortly reveal the mettle of their souls, winning a great victory for the Church militant.
Persecution begins in the East
In 285, Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into two parts. He kept the East for himself, with the capital of Nicomedia, present-day Izmit in Turkey, and entrusted the West to Maximian, with the capital in Milan. Both governors called themselves “Augustus” and supported one another in their offices, even though Diocletian held first place.
A few years later, around 293, the diarchy was transformed into a tetrarchy: Constantius Chlorus was appointed “Caesar” by Maximian, and Diocletian did the same with Galerius, in the East. This manner of organizing the governing power – two “Augustus” Emperors, and two “Caesars” subordinate to them – enabled the division of the Empire into four regions, facilitating military operations.
Galerius was responsible for governing the Balkan region. An unyielding pagan, he professed absolute hostility against all monotheist religions, especially Christianity, and had finally succeeded in persuading Diocletian, who was slightly less intolerant, to eradicate the religion of Christ.
On February 23, in the year 303, he proclaimed the first imperial edict imposing heavy penalties on Christians who would not abjure their Faith. The decree prohibited meetings and established the destruction of places of worship and the burning of holy books. The penalties included confiscation of goods, the loss of positions and privilege, and imprisonment for the administrators of the State. The very next day one of the first Christian churches, next to the imperial palace was burnt down, initiating a bloody persecution throughout the East.
Several months later, an uprising in Syria and two attempts to raze the imperial palace of Nicomedia served as a pretext for Galerius to reiterate his accusations against the Church and induce Diocletian to publish a second, even harsher edict.
With the prisons teeming, Diocletian issued a third edict, by which he granted liberty to those who abjured and levied a death sentence to those who remained faithful to Christ. Given that he was the ultimate authority in the Roman tetrarchy, his orders held sway throughout the Empire – therefore also in Rome – where denunciations against Christians soon emerged.
Implacable hunt for Christians
Diocletian rarely went to Rome, for he knew that its citizens had not forgiven him for having transferred the capital of the Empire… Nevertheless, he stayed a month there at the close of 303, at the invitation of Maximian, to receive homage for his twenty years of governance.
Pancras and his uncle witnessed the triumphal parade of the two emperors, seated on imposing thrones atop a bier pulled by four elephants, followed by a cortege of vanquished enemies, trophies of war, standard bearers, officers from the victorious legions and magistrates. Dazzled by the pomp, the people cheered.
At the same time, the hunt for Christians was unleashed with implacable fury. Dionysius and Pancras did not belong to the clergy nor did they have any special relevance as laypersons. Notwithstanding, in the spring of 304 a bailiff with an armed escort appeared at the Caelian Hill mansion with a detention order for both. They had been denounced as followers of Christ and benefactors of His Church.
They appeared before the tribunal with the dignity of sons of God. At the first hearing, which was open to the public, the judge inquired if the accusation made against them was true and they proudly replied: “We are Christians!”7
Well acquainted with the content of the imperial decrees, which ordained severe penalties for those who refused to burn incense to the gods, Dionysius declared them to be unjust and reaffirmed his Faith. Sentence was immediately pronounced: he would be decapitated for impiety and hostility to the emperor.
The clash of two beliefs
The judge then turned to Pancras. In view of his young age and social status, he wavered to pass sentence. Suspecting that the youth had expressed Christian convictions due to the influence of his uncle, he decided to suspend the hearing and submit the case to Diocletian himself.
On the morning of May 12, Pancras was brought to the Emperor, who, taken with his noble and youthful appearance, felt kindly disposed to him at the outset. He reminded him that his parents had worshipped the gods, and argued that Christians formed a sect that was hostile to the Empire and urged him to use his nobility and wealth to advantage to acquire a prestigious office. He could accrue honours and enjoy life, and ultimately, be happy… all that he had to do was renounce his Faith.
Pancras promptly refused to acquiesce. Diocletian then attempted intimidation, listing the penalties applied to transgressors: the confiscation of goods, condemnation to forced labour or the death penalty. Nevertheless, taken by a supernatural force the youth reaffirmed that he would always remain Christian.
It was a moving scene. With astonishing strength of spirit, an adolescent defied the man who held the greatest temporal power of that time, and whom he had just seen enter Rome with such pomp! This was not the confrontation of two men, but rather of two beliefs. It was the Mystical Body of Christ confronting paganism! Swept up by the strength that Christ communicates to His Church, Pancras acted as if he were the Church; through his lips spoke the Mystical Bride of the Lamb, against whom the gates of hell will never prevail!
Great miracles worked at his tomb
Similar to Pontius Pilate who wavered in the presence of Jesus in the Praetorium, Diocletian was struck by this show of steadfastness, but his pride prevented him from acknowledging it. Humiliated and vanquished in his attempt to break the faith and joy of a youth of just fourteen years, the emperor declared a death sentence. At twilight of the same day, Pancras was beheaded on the Via Aurelia.
An illustrious Christian patrician, Ottavilla, witnessed the execution and had the head and body of the martyr taken to a nearby catacomb, anointed with balsam and wrapped in precious linen. Pancras was crowned in Heaven with the glories of innocence and martyrdom, and on earth considered a Saint from the moment of his burial. A Latin inscription marks the site of the execution: “Hic decollatus est Sanctus Pancratius – St. Pancras was beheaded here.”8
Marvellous occurrences and great miracles soon occurred at his tomb as well as from contact with his relics. Less than two centuries later, Pope Symmachus ordered a church built on the site of the tomb, presently called the San Pancrazio Minor Basilica. Devotion to him has spread throughout the world, especially in Italy, France, Spain and in England, where at the end of the sixth century, St. Augustine of Canterbury transformed an ancient pagan temple into a monastery, whose patron is St. Pancras. The famous Saint Pancras railway station in London is named after this convent.
The noble, fearless and steadfast attitude of Pancras deeply marked his contemporaries, fortifying some and transforming others. Through the innocence of this courageous son, the Church expressed her own innocence; in overcoming this youth’s weakness she conveyed her strength; and in the determined will of this martyr she transmitted her veracity. Pancras died for the Church, to which he belonged by the Baptism of water; the Church experienced expansion through the Baptism of the blood of Pancras.
Blood of martyrs, the seed of Christians
Modern historians estimate that fifteen thousand Christians were martyred during the reign of Diocletian. Agnes, Lucy, Sebastian and Pancras are, undoubtedly, among the most famous.
Paradoxically, this great and final persecution had the opposite effect of that desired by its instigators. The blood of the martyrs is the “seed of Christians,”9 as Tertullian so rightly stated. Instead of extinguishing the flame of love for Jesus Christ, these sanguinary brutalities increased admiration for the champions of the Faith, both in the heart of already professed Christians, and among the unbaptized in whose minds pagan convictions were gradually weakened.
Both in persecutions and in freedom, the sweet odour of Jesus Christ spread to the far reaches of the Roman Empire and conversions were innumerable. Only nine years after the martyrdom of Pancras, in 313, the emperors Constantine and Licinius signed the famous Edict of Milan, giving freedom to the Church.
Ancient paganism had definitively lost its prestige and was defeated just as the dawn overcomes the shadows of night. It is interesting to recall that less than one year after the death of Pancras, a sick and enfeebled Diocletian abdicated his throne, making him the first emperor to voluntarily leave his position. Pancras was victorious! The future gave him his due with the victory of Christianity, which divided history into two eras: before and after Christ. ◊
