Pope Heraclas of Alexandria was born to pagan parents who became Christians and were baptized after his birth.
He assigned to St. Dionysius the work of judging between the believers, and taking care of their affairs.
Pope Heraclas sat on the throne of St. Mark for 16 years until his death.
He was the first Patriarch of Alexandria to be referred to as "Pope" (in Greek, Papás), a term, originally a form of address meaning 'Father', that was used by several bishops.
The first known record of this designation being assigned to Heraclas is in a letter written by the bishop of Rome, Dionysius, to Philemon: τοῦτον ἐγὼ τὸν κανόνα καὶ τὸν τύπον παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου πάπα ἡμῶν Ἡρακλᾶ παρέλαβον.