Pope Sisinnius
| Sisinnius | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Papacy began | January 15, 708 |
| Papacy ended | February 4, 708 |
| Predecessor | John VII |
| Successor | Constantine |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | ??? |
| Born | 650 Syria, Byzantine Empire |
| Died | February 4, 708 Rome, Byzantine Empire |
Pope Sisinnius (c. 650 – February 4, 708) was the eighty-seventh Pope and remained in office for about three weeks in 708.
A Syrian by birth, Sisinnius's father's name was John.[1] The paucity of donations to the papacy during his reign (42 pounds of gold and 310 pounds of silver, a fraction of a the personal donations of other contemporary pontiffs) indicate that he was probably not from the aristocracy.[2]
Sisinnius was selected as pope during the Byzantine Papacy. He succeeded Pope John VII after a sede vacante of three months.[3] He was consecrated around January 15, 708.[1]
Sisinnius remained pope for twenty days.[3] 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".[1] Among his few acts as pope was the consecration of a bishop for Corsica.[1] He also ordered "that lime be burned in order to restore portions" of the walls of Rome.[4] The restoration of the walls planned by Sisinnius was carried out by Pope Gregory II.[5] The book True Christianity: The Catholic Way credits him with defending the Church against the Lombards and Saracens.[6]
Sisinnius was buried in Old St. Peter's Basilica.[1] He was succeeded less than two months later by Pope Constantine.[3] Constantine, also Syrian by birth, was probably the brother of Sisinnius.[7]
See also
- List of 10 shortest-reigning popes
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
"Pope Sisinnius" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia. - ↑ Jeffrey Richards. 1979. The popes and the papacy in the early Middle Ages, 476–752. p. 245.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ekonomou, 2007, p. 246.
- ↑ Ekonomou, 2007, p. 248.
- ↑ Charles Isidore Hemans. 1874. Historic and monumental Rome. p. 100.
- ↑ Pasquini, John J.. True Christianity: The Catholic Way. iUniverse. pp. 418.
- ↑ *Williams, George L. 2004. Papal Genealogy: The Families and Descendants of the Popes. McFarland. ISBN 0786420715. p. 10.
References
- 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John VII |
Pope 708 |
Succeeded by Constantine |
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