Defender of the True Faith

Anastasius, Roman by birth and son of a man named Maximus, bore a name which in Greek means “risen.” He was elected Pontiff at the end of 399, after the death of Pope Siricius, and remained at the head of the Church for just two years, until 19 December 401. Despite the brevity of his pontificate, his governance was remarkably intense. He is credited with the construction of the Basilica Crescenziana—identified by tradition with the present-day San Sisto Vecchio—and with a constant work of doctrinal vigilance in years when ancient controversies periodically returned to shake ecclesial unity.