Which pope consecrated the Colosseum to Christian martyrs in 1749?

Pope Benedict XIV consecrated the Colosseum to Christian martyrs in 1749. During his pontificate, he endorsed the belief that early Christians had suffered martyrdom in the amphitheatre and redefined the site as a Christian sacred place. He also installed Stations of the Cross around the arena.

Benedict’s action had a practical consequence: he forbade the continued removal of stone from the Colosseum for use as building material elsewhere. Earlier popes and church officials had treated parts of the ruined structure in different ways, and the amphitheatre had long been quarried for Rome’s construction projects.

The tradition behind the consecration is stronger than the surviving evidence. Historians agree that Christians were executed in ancient Rome, but records do not establish that large numbers were killed specifically in the Colosseum. Many martyrdom traditions instead point to other venues, including the Circus Maximus. The Christian association nevertheless became central to the monument’s later identity.