Pope Saint Symmachus was
popeThe pope is the Bishop of Rome and, as such, is leader of the worldwide Catholic Church...
from 498 to 514.
He was born on
SardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . The area of Sardinia is . The nearest land masses to the island are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Tunisia, and the Spanish Balearic Islands...
, the son of Fortunatus. He was baptized in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
, where he became
archdeaconA position of archdeacon is a senior position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, and in some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of the Church under
Pope Anastasius IIPope Anastasius II was pope from November 24, 496 to November 19, 498.Anastasius II was Pontiff in the time of the schism of Acacius. He showed some tendency towards conciliation, and thus brought upon himself the lively reproaches of the author of the Liber Pontificalis. On the strength of this...
.
Symmachus was elected pope on November 22,
498-Byzantine Empire:* Emperor Anastasius I reforms the monetary system, using Greek numerals instead of Roman.-Religion:* November 22—Pope Symmachus succeeds Pope Anastasius II as the 51st pope, in the official papal selection in the Lateran Palace....
. The
archpriestAn archpriest is a priest who has supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches, although it may be used in the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church instead of dean or vicar forane.-History:Much as the archdeacon was...
of
Santa PrassedeThe Basilica of Saint Praxedes is a titular minor basilica in Rome, located near the major basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.The current Cardinal Priest of Titulus Sancta Praxedis is Paul Poupard.- History :...
,
LaurentiusLaurentius was an antipope of the Roman Catholic Church, from 498 to 506.Archpriest of Santa Prassede, Laurentius was elected pope on 22 November 498, against Symmachus, by a dissenting faction with Byzantine sympathies...
, was elected pope, that same day, by a dissenting minority faction with
ByzantineThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
sympathies. Laurentius was supported by Emperor
AnastasiusFlavius Anastasius or Anastasius I was Byzantine Emperor from 11 April 491 until his death. He was born at Dyrrhachium no later than 430/431, the son of Pompeius, a nobleman of Dyrrachium, and his anonymous wife...
, but the
GothicThe Goths were a heterogeneous East Germanic tribe. The historian Jordanes claimed that the Goths arrived from semi-legendary Scandza, believed to be somewhere in modern Götaland , and that a Gothic population had crossed the Baltic Sea before the 2nd century, lending their name to the region of...
King
Theodoric the GreatTheodoric the Great , was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Roman Empire...
, in the end, ruled against him and in favor of Symmachus.
At a synod held at Rome on March 1,
499-Asia:*Kavadh I of Persia deposes his brother Djamasp and restores himself as king of Persia.-Religion:*March 1—During a synod in Rome, Pope Symmachus makes Antipope Laurentius bishop of Nocera in Campania.-Deaths:*Empress Feng Run...
, Symmachus bestowed on Laurentius the diocesis of Nuceria in
CampaniaCampania is a region of southern Italy in Europe. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,595 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
.
Pope Saint Symmachus was
popeThe pope is the Bishop of Rome and, as such, is leader of the worldwide Catholic Church...
from 498 to 514.
He was born on
SardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . The area of Sardinia is . The nearest land masses to the island are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Tunisia, and the Spanish Balearic Islands...
, the son of Fortunatus. He was baptized in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
, where he became
archdeaconA position of archdeacon is a senior position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, and in some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of the Church under
Pope Anastasius IIPope Anastasius II was pope from November 24, 496 to November 19, 498.Anastasius II was Pontiff in the time of the schism of Acacius. He showed some tendency towards conciliation, and thus brought upon himself the lively reproaches of the author of the Liber Pontificalis. On the strength of this...
.
Symmachus was elected pope on November 22,
498-Byzantine Empire:* Emperor Anastasius I reforms the monetary system, using Greek numerals instead of Roman.-Religion:* November 22—Pope Symmachus succeeds Pope Anastasius II as the 51st pope, in the official papal selection in the Lateran Palace....
. The
archpriestAn archpriest is a priest who has supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches, although it may be used in the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church instead of dean or vicar forane.-History:Much as the archdeacon was...
of
Santa PrassedeThe Basilica of Saint Praxedes is a titular minor basilica in Rome, located near the major basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.The current Cardinal Priest of Titulus Sancta Praxedis is Paul Poupard.- History :...
,
LaurentiusLaurentius was an antipope of the Roman Catholic Church, from 498 to 506.Archpriest of Santa Prassede, Laurentius was elected pope on 22 November 498, against Symmachus, by a dissenting faction with Byzantine sympathies...
, was elected pope, that same day, by a dissenting minority faction with
ByzantineThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
sympathies. Laurentius was supported by Emperor
AnastasiusFlavius Anastasius or Anastasius I was Byzantine Emperor from 11 April 491 until his death. He was born at Dyrrhachium no later than 430/431, the son of Pompeius, a nobleman of Dyrrachium, and his anonymous wife...
, but the
GothicThe Goths were a heterogeneous East Germanic tribe. The historian Jordanes claimed that the Goths arrived from semi-legendary Scandza, believed to be somewhere in modern Götaland , and that a Gothic population had crossed the Baltic Sea before the 2nd century, lending their name to the region of...
King
Theodoric the GreatTheodoric the Great , was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Roman Empire...
, in the end, ruled against him and in favor of Symmachus.
At a synod held at Rome on March 1,
499-Asia:*Kavadh I of Persia deposes his brother Djamasp and restores himself as king of Persia.-Religion:*March 1—During a synod in Rome, Pope Symmachus makes Antipope Laurentius bishop of Nocera in Campania.-Deaths:*Empress Feng Run...
, Symmachus bestowed on Laurentius the diocesis of Nuceria in
CampaniaCampania is a region of southern Italy in Europe. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,595 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
. The synod also ordained that any cleric who sought to gain votes for a successor to the papacy during the lifetime of the pope, or who called conferences and held consultations for that purpose, should be deposed.
In 501, senator Festus, a supporter of Laurentius, accused Symmachus of various crimes. The pope refused to appear before the king to answer the charges, asserting that the secular ruler had no jurisdiction over the supreme pontiff. A synod, called
Synodus Palmaris, convoked by King Theodoric on 23 October
502-Asia:* The Southern Qi Dynasty ends and the Liang Dynasty begins in southern China. Liang Wu Di succeeds Qi He Di.* Wu-Ti becomes Emperor of China .-Arts and sciences:...
confirmed this view, declaring that the decision "must be left to the judgment of God" and that Symmachus was to be regarded "as free from all the crimes of which he was accused". The synod also confirmed Symmachus' right to the papacy.
Nonetheless, Theodoric installed Laurentius in the
Lateran PalaceThe Lateran Palace, formally the Apostolic Palace of the Lateran , is an ancient palace of the Roman Empire and later the main Papal residence. Adjacent to the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, the cathedral church of Rome, Italy, the Lateran Palace is now occupied by the Museo Storico...
as pope. The schism continued for four years until Theodoric, deciding that the adherents of Laurentius were too pro-Byzantine, withdrew his support of Laurentius and had him removed from Rome, and opposition to Symmachus eventually was stilled.
The pope contributed large sums for the support of the Catholic bishops of
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
who were persecuted by the rulers of the
ArianArianism is the theological teaching of Arius , a Christian priest, who was first ruled a heretic at the First Council of Nicea of 325, later exonerated in 335 at the First Synod of Tyre, and then pronounced a heretic again after his death at the First Council of Constantinople of 381...
VandalsThe Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Goth Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths and regent of the Visigoths, was allied by marriage with the Vandals as well as with the Burgundians and the Franks under .The Vandals are perhaps...
. He also aided the inhabitants of upper Italy who suffered from the invasions of barbarians.
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