Pope Pius X (Italian: Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; June 2, 1835 – August 20, 1914) is head of the Catholic Church from August 1903 to his death in 1914.

Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting liturgical reforms and orthodox theology.

He directs the production of the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the first comprehensive and systemic work of its kind.

Pius X is devoted to the Marian title of Our Lady of Confidence; while his papal encyclical Ad diem illum takes on a sense of renewal that is reflected in the motto of his pontificate.

He advances the Liturgical Movement as the only pope to favor the use of the vernacular language in teaching catechesis, he encourages the frequent reception of holy communion, and he lowersthe age for First Communion, which becomes a lasting innovation of his papacy.

In addition, he strongly defends the Catholic religion against indifferentism and relativism.

Like his predecessors, he promotes Thomism as the principal philosophical method to be taught in Catholic institutions.

As Roman pontiff, he vehemently opposes modernism and various nineteenth-century philosophies, which he views as an import of secular errors incompatible with Catholic dogma.

Pius X is known for his overall firm demeanor and sense of personal poverty.

He frequently gives homily sermons in the pulpit every week, a rare practice at the time.

After the 1908 Messina earthquake he fills the Apostolic Palace with refugees, long before the Italian government acts.

He rejects any kind of favors for his family; his close relatives choose to remain in poverty living near Rome.

During his pontificate, many famed Marian images are granted a canonical coronation, namely the Our Lady of Aparecida, Our Lady of the Pillar, Our Lady of the Cape, Our Lady of Chiquinquira of Colombia, Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos, Our Lady of La Naval de Manila, Virgin of Help of Venezuela, Our Lady of Carmel of New York, and the Immaculate Conception within the Chapel of the Choir inside Saint Peter's Basilica are granted its prestigious honors.

After his death, a strong cult of devotion will follow his reputation of piety and holiness.

He will be beatified in 1951 and be canonized on May 29, 1954.

The traditionalist Catholic priestly Society of Saint Pius X will be named in his honor while a grand statue bearing his name stands within St. Peter's Basilica; and his birth town will be renamed Riese Pio X after his death.