Pope Urban I
Callixtus I | |
---|---|
Successor | Pontian |
Personal details | |
Born | 175? |
Died | 23 May 230[1] Rome, Roman Empire |
Sainthood | |
Feast day | 25 May |
Other popes named Urban |
Pope Urban I, also known as Saint Urban (175?–230) (
Pontificate
Much of Urban's life is shrouded in mystery, leading to many myths and misconceptions. Despite the lack of sources, he is the first
It is believed that the
Due to the relative freedoms the Christian community had during Severus's reign, the Church in Rome grew, which led to the belief that Urban was a skilled converter.[4] A papal decree concerning the donations of the faithful at Mass is attributed to Pope Urban:
The gifts of the faithful that are offered to the Lord can only be used for ecclesiastical purposes, for the common good of the Christian community, and for the poor; for they are the consecrated gifts of the faithful, the atonement offering of sinners, and the patrimony of the needy.[5]
Tomb
It was believed that Urban was buried in the
Urban is a saint of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. A relic from his body is located in Hungary in the Monok Roman Catholic Church. In 1773, Pope Clement XIV donated it to the Andrássy family.
Legends and myths
As no contemporary accounts of Urban's pontificate exist there have been many legends and acts attributed to him which are fictitious or difficult to ascertain the factual nature of. The legendary Acts of St. Cecilia and the Liber Pontificalis contain information on Urban although their reliability is doubtful. Chaucer made him a character in "The Second Nun's Tale" of The Canterbury Tales.
A story that was once included in the Catholic Church's Breviary states that Urban had many converts among whom were Tiburtius and his brother Valerianus, the husband of Cecilia. Tradition credits Urban with the miracle of toppling an idol through prayer.[7] This event is believed to have led to Urban being beaten and tortured before being sentenced to death by beheading.
A further belief, now known as an invention from the 6th century, was that Urban had ordered the making of silver liturgical vessels and the patens for twenty-five titular churches of his own time.
Art
Urban is found in various pieces of artwork usually in one of two forms. He is often found sitting wearing the papal tiara, papal robes and holding a sword pointed towards the ground. Otherwise, he may be portrayed wearing papal garb and a bishop's mitre while he holds a Bible and a bunch of grapes.[8][9] An image of Urban is on a 12th-century fresco at Chalivoy-Milon in the Berry Art Gallery.[10]
Other less common depictions of Pope Urban are:
- after his beheading, with the papal tiara near him.
- as idols fall from a column while he is beheaded;
- scourged at the stake;
- seated in a landscape as a young man (Saint Valerian) kneels before him and a priest holds a book.
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e Kirsch, Johann Peter (1912). "Pope Urban I" in The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ "Pope Urban I". newadvent.org. New Advent, LLC. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ Kung, Hans. The Catholic Church: A Short History. New York; The Modern Library, 2003, p. 41
- ^ a b c Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pope Urban I". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Roman Breviary
- ^ Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 124
- ^ Roman Breviary: Saint Urban began to make his orison to God; and anon the idol fell down and slew twenty-two priests of the law that held fire for to make sacrifice.
- ^ Portrait of Urban Archived 14 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Portrait of Urban Archived 14 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Image of Pope Saint Urbanus Archived 20 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Media related to Pope Urban I at Wikimedia Commons