Son of John. Little is known of his life before his election as 11th Pope. Met with Saint Polycarp of Smyrna and allowed Eastern Christians to celebrate Easter on the 14th day of Nisan, regardless of whether it fell on Sunday. Anicetus took a firm stand against Gnosticism. Decreed that Church men should not have long hair; this was in keeping with 1st Corinthians 11:14 and helped mark the clergy as different from the laity.
- in Syria
- 166 of natural causes
- listed as a martyr for centuries, possibly under the assumption that all the early popes were martyred, but there is no evidence of it
- interred in Vatican City, Rome, Italy
- “Pope Saint Anicetus“. CatholicSaints.Info. 21 July 2015. Web. 4 May 2016. <>