FABIAN, SAINT

died Jan. 20, 250, Rome; feast day January 20 Latin Fabianus pope from 236 to 250. The successor to St. Anterus, Fabian is said to have divided Rome into seven districts assigned to the seven deacons and to have founded several churches in France. His appointment of notaries to register the deeds of the martyrs reflected the increasing precision with which the Roman Catholic church began to keep records during his time. Martyred during the persecution of the Roman emperor Decius, he was buried in the catacomb of St. Calixtus; his body was later moved to St. Sebastian's, where his tomb was found in 1915.