Pope Leo IV
Bishop of Rome | |
---|---|
Church | Catholic Church |
Papacy began | 10 April 847 |
Papacy ended | 17 July 855 |
Predecessor | Sergius II |
Successor | Benedict III |
Orders | |
Created cardinal | 844 by Sergius II |
Personal details | |
Born | 790 |
Died | 17 July 855 Rome, Papal States | (aged 64–65)
Sainthood | |
Venerated in | Catholic Church |
Attributes |
|
Other popes named Leo |
Pope Leo IV (790 – 17 July 855) was the
Early career
A Roman by birth, Leo received his early education at Rome in the monastery of St. Martin, near St. Peter's. He attracted the notice of Pope Gregory IV, who made him a subdeacon; and was created cardinal-priest of Santi Quattro Coronati by Pope Sergius II.[1]
Pontificate
In April 847, Leo was unanimously chosen to succeed Sergius II. As the attack of the Saracens on Rome in 846 caused the people to fear for the safety of the city, he was consecrated on 10 April, 847 without waiting for the consent of the emperor.[1]
Saracen defenses
He immediately began to repair the damage done to various churches of the city during the Arab raid against Rome. He restored and embellished the damaged Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls and St. Peter's Basilica. The latter's altar again received its gold covering (after being stolen), which weighed 206 lb. and was studded with precious gems. Following the restoration of St. Peter's, Leo appealed to the Christian kingdoms to confront the Arab raiders.[2]
Leo also took precautions against further raids. He put the walls of the city into a thorough state of repair, entirely rebuilding fifteen of the great towers. He was the first to enclose the Vatican hill by a wall.[1] Leo ordered a new line of walls encompassing the suburb on the right bank of the Tiber to be built, including St. Peter's Basilica, which had been undefended until this time. The district enclosed by the walls is still known as the Leonine City, and corresponds to the later rione of Borgo. To do this, he received money from the emperor, and help from all the cities and agricultural colonies (domus cultae) of the Duchy of Rome. The work took him four years to accomplish, and the newly fortified portion was called the Leonine City, after him.[3][1]
Battle of Ostia
In 849, when a Saracen fleet from
Raphael's The Fire in the Borgo celebrates the incident in which, according to legend, Leo stopped a fire in the pilgrims' district by making the sign of the cross.
Leo IV held three
Before his death in 855 the Pope welcomed
Death and burial
Leo IV died on 17 July 855 and was succeeded by Benedict III, although a legend says he was succeeded by Pope Joan for two years.[7] Nowadays, the story of Pope Joan is regarded by scholars as fictional.[8][9][10]
Leo IV was originally buried in his own monument in St. Peter's Basilica. Some years after his death, his remains were put into a tomb that contained the first four popes named Leo. In the 18th century, the relics of Leo the Great were separated from his namesakes and given their own chapel.[11]
Iconography
Leo IV had the figure of a rooster placed on the
References
- ^ a b c d One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Mann, Horace (1910). "Pope St. Leo IV". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ Pierre Riche, The Carolingians:A Family who forged Europe, transl. Michael Idomir Allen, (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993), 175.
- ^ Gregorovius, Ferdinand. History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages, vol. 3, (Annie Hamilton, tr.), 1903 ch. III "The Leonine City" pp 95ff.
- ^ Mann, Horace. "Pope St. Leo IV." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 23 September 2017
- ISBN 9780520021815
- ^ Asser, Life of Alfred the Great
- ^ the span is given as 855–857; see also quotes from "The Register of Bishop Trefnan" in The Trial of Walter Brut of 1391 in Blamires, p. 259
- ISBN 0-226-06745-9.
- ISBN 978-0-472-11544-0.
- S2CID 159548215.
- ISBN 9780786415274.
- ^ ST PETER'S BASILICA.ORG - Providing information on St. Peter's Basilica and Square in the Vatican City - The Treasury Museum [1]
- ^ "John G. R. Forlong, Encyclopedia of Religions: A-d - Page 471".
- ^ The Antiquary: a magazine devoted to the study of the past, Volume 17 edited by Edward Walford, John Charles Cox, George Latimer Apperson - page 202 [2]
- ^ How the Chicken Conquered the World - By Jerry Adler and Andrew Lawler - Smithsonian magazine, June 2012 [3] Archived 5 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
Sources
- Cheetham, Nicolas, Keepers of the Keys, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1983. ISBN 0-684-17863-X