Born to a family of wealth and distinction, possibly of the
Gens Cornelia, he was the son of Quintus Cornelius Pudens, a Roman
senator, and his wife Priscilla, among the first converted by
Peter in
Rome. Pudens was baptised by Peter, who was a guest in his parents' house in Rome. A member of the Roman Senate, he was the father of two sons,
Novatus and Timotheus, and, according to legend, two daughters,
Praxedes and
Pudentiana. Pudens was martyred under
Nero (reigned 54–68) and buried in the
Catacomb of Priscilla on the
Via Salaria. The acts of the synod of
Pope Symmachus (499) show the existence of a
titulus Pudentis, a church with the authority to administer sacraments, which was also known as
ecclesia Pudentiana. He is commemorated on
April 14 and also January 4 in the
Eastern Orthodox Church calendar and May 19 according to the
Dominican Martyrology. ==See also==