Pacian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint Pacian |
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Pacian of Barcelona by Joan Roig - Cathedral of Barcelona.
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| Father of the Church | |
| Born | c. 310 AD |
| Died | c. 391 AD Barcelona |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | March 9 |
Saint Pacian (also known as Pacianus) was an important leader in the Christian Church. He lived a long time ago, from about 310 AD to 391 AD. He was the bishop of Barcelona in Spain during the fourth century.
Pacian became bishop around 365 AD. He took over from a bishop named Praetextatus. Pacian is known as a Father of the Church. This means he was an early and very important Christian writer and teacher.
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Who Was Saint Pacian?
Saint Pacian was a respected leader in the early Christian Church. He served as the bishop of Barcelona for many years. A famous writer named Jerome praised Pacian. Jerome said Pacian was very good at speaking and writing. He also admired Pacian's pure and holy life.
His Important Writings
Pacian wrote several important texts. Only some of his writings still exist today. These include three letters and a short book. It is called Paraenesis ad Poenitentiam.
In his writings, Pacian talked about church rules. He also wrote about baptism, which is a Christian ceremony. He discussed the role of the Pope. Pacian also wrote about penance, which is about saying sorry for mistakes. He wrote against a group called Novatianism. This group had different ideas about forgiveness.
A Famous Quote
Pacian is remembered for a special phrase. It comes from one of his letters. He wrote: Christianus mihi nomen est, catholicus vero cognomen. This means, "My name is Christian, my surname is Catholic." This quote shows his strong faith.
His Family Life
Pacian was married and had a son. His son's name was Nummius Aemilianus Dexter. Dexter became an important official. He worked for the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Dexter held high positions like proconsul and praetorian prefect. A proconsul was like a governor. A praetorian prefect was a top military and civil leader.
Jerome, the writer who praised Pacian, did not know Pacian personally. But Jerome knew Pacian's son, Dexter. In fact, Jerome dedicated his book De Viris Illustribus to Dexter.
A Hint of Catalan?
In 2023, two researchers studied Pacian's writings. Their names are Jesús Alturo i Perucho and Tània Alaix i Gimbert. They found something interesting. They believe Pacian used some words that are early forms of the Catalan language.
For example, he used ceruulus which means 'cèrvol' (deer). He also used subinde which means 'sovint' (often). Another example is si te placet for 'si us plau' (please). These findings suggest that early forms of Catalan might have been spoken even back then.
See also
- In Spanish: Paciano de Barcelona para niños
