Pope Sisinnius
Pope Sisinnius |
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Papacy began | 15 January 708 |
Papacy ended | 4 February 708 |
Predecessor | John VII |
Successor | Constantine |
Personal details | |
Birth name | ??? |
Born | 650 Syria, Rashidun Caliphate |
Died | 4 February 708 Rome, Byzantine Empire |
Pope Sisinnius (c. 650 – 4 February 708) was Pope from 15 January to his death in 708.[1]
A Syrian by birth,[2] Sisinnius' father's name was John.[3] The paucity of donations to the papacy during his reign (42 pounds of gold and 310 pounds of silver, a fraction of the personal donations of other contemporary pontiffs) indicate that he was probably not from the aristocracy.[4]
Sisinnius was selected as pope during the Byzantine Papacy. He succeeded Pope John VII after a sede vacante of three months.[5] He was consecrated around 15 January 708.[3]
Sisinnius remained pope for just twenty days.[5] According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "although he was so afflicted with gout that he was unable even to feed himself, he is nevertheless said to have been a man of strong character, and to have been able to take thought for the good of the city".[3] Among his few acts as pope was the consecration of a bishop for Corsica.[3] He also ordered "that lime be burned in order to restore portions" of the walls of Rome.[6] The restoration of the walls planned by Sisinnius was carried out by Pope Gregory II.[7]
Sisinnius was buried in Old St. Peter's Basilica.[3] He was succeeded less than two months later by Pope Constantine.[5] Constantine, also Syrian by birth, was probably the brother of Sisinnius.[8]
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ "Pope Sisinnius". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
- ^ Joseph S. Brusher, Popes through the Ages, (Neff-Kane, 1980), 174.
- ^ a b c d e "Pope Sisinnius" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia.
- ^ Jeffrey Richards. 1979. The popes and the papacy in the early Middle Ages, 476–752. p. 245.
- ^ a b c Ekonomou, 2007, p. 246.
- ^ Ekonomou, 2007, p. 248.
- ^ Charles Isidore Hemans. 1874. Historic and monumental Rome. p. 100.
- ^ *Williams, George L. 2004. Papal Genealogy: The Families and Descendants of the Popes. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-2071-5. p. 10.
References[edit]
- Ekonomou, Andrew J. 2007. Byzantine Rome and the Greek Popes: Eastern influences on Rome and the papacy from Gregory the Great to Zacharias, A.D. 590–752. Lexington Books.
Catholic Church titles | ||
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Preceded by John VII |
Pope 708 |
Succeeded by Constantine |
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