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Pope Sylvester I

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"St. Sylvester" redirects here. For other uses, seeSylvester (disambiguation)andSaint-Sylvestre (disambiguation).

Pope Saint

Sylvester I
Bishop of Rome
14th-century head reliquary,Zadar
ChurchNicene Church
Papacy began31 January 314
Papacy ended31 December 335
PredecessorMiltiades
SuccessorMark
Personal details
Born285
Asculam,Roman Empire
Died31 December 335 (aged 50)
Rome,Roman Empire[1]
Sainthood
Feast day
Venerated in
Attributes
Patronage
Other popes named Sylvester

Pope Sylvester I(alsoSilvester,285 – 31 December 335) was thebishop of Romefrom 31 January 314 until his death on 31 December 335.[3][4]He filled theSee of Romeat an important era in the history of theWestern Church,though very little is known of his life.[5]

During his pontificate, he notably convened theCouncil of Arlesin 314, which condemned the separatistDonatistsect, and theFirst Council of Nicaeain 325, which aimed to resolve theArian controversy.His pontificate also coincided with the baptism of Roman EmperorConstantine I.[6]

Sylvester I's pontificate coincided with the construction of churches includingOld St. Peter's Basilica,theBasilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem(Santa Croce in Gerusalemme), as well as theArchbasilica of Saint John Lateran.[6]His feast is celebrated asSaint Sylvester's Day,on 31 December in Western Christianity, and on 2 January inEastern Christianity.[7]

Personal biography[edit]

The accounts of his pontificate preserved in the seventh- or eighth-centuryLiber Pontificaliscontain little more than a record of the gifts said to have been conferred on the church byConstantine I,[8]although it does say that he was the son of a Roman named Rufinus.[9]

Pontificate[edit]

Large churches were founded and built during Sylvester I's pontificate, includingBasilica of St. John Lateran,Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem,Old St. Peter's Basilicaand several churches built over the graves ofmartyrs.[9][10]

One of theSymmachian forgeries,theConstitutum Silvestri,is an apocryphal alleged account of a Roman council, which partially builds on legends in theActs of Sylvesterwhich has been preserved in Greek,Syriac,and inLatinand the fictional stories of Sylvester's close relationship with the first Christian emperor. These also appear in theDonation of Constantine.[9]

Legacy[edit]

Long after his death, the figure of Sylvester was embroidered upon in a fictional account of his relationship to Constantine, which seemed to successfully support the laterGelasian doctrineofpapal supremacy,papalauctoritas(authority) guiding imperialpotestas(power), the doctrine that is embodied in the forgedDonation of Constantineof the eighth century. In the fiction, of which an early version is represented in the early sixth-centurySymmachean forgeriesemanating from the curia ofPope Symmachus(died 514), the Emperor Constantine was cured ofleprosyby the virtue of the baptismal water administered by Sylvester.[11]

The Emperor, abjectly grateful, not only confirmed thebishop of Romeas the primate above all other bishops, he resigned his imperial insignia and walked before Sylvester's horse holding the Pope's bridle as the papal groom. The Pope, in return, offered the crown of his own good will to Constantine, who abandoned Rome to the pope and took up residence inConstantinople."The doctrine behind this charming story is a radical one,"Norman F. Cantorobserves: "The pope is supreme over all rulers, even the Roman emperor, who owes his crown to the pope and therefore may be deposed by papal decree". The legend gained wide circulation;Gregory of Toursreferred to this political legend in his history of the Franks, written in the 580s.[12]

Pope Sylvester II,himself a close associate ofOtto III, Holy Roman Emperor,chose the nameSylvesterin imitation of Sylvester I.[9][13]

In the West, the liturgical feast of Saint Sylvester is on 31 December, the day of his burial in theCatacomb of Priscilla.[9]This is now the last day in the year and, accordingly, in German-speaking countries and in some others close to them,New Year's Eveis known asSilvester.In some other countries, too, the day is usually referred to asSaint Sylvester's Dayor theFeast of Saint Sylvester.[14]InSão Paulo,Brazil, a long-distance running event called theSaint Silvester Road Raceoccurs every year on 31 December.[15]

Legendary[edit]

Pope Sylvester I portrayed slaying a dragon and resurrecting its victims, afrescobyMaso di Banco

TheDonation of Constantineis a documentfabricatedin the second half of the eighth century, purporting to be a record by the Emperor himself of his conversion, the profession of his new faith, and the privileges he conferred on Pope Sylvester I, his clergy, and their successors. According to it, Pope Sylvester was offered the imperial crown, which, however, he refused.[16]

Lu Santu Papa Silvestru,a story inGiuseppe Pitrè's collection of Sicilian fables, recounts the legend as follows: Constantine the king wants to take a second wife, and asks Sylvester. Sylvester denies him permission, calling on heaven as witness; Constantine threatens him, and Sylvester, rather than give in, escapes into the woods. Not long after, Constantine falls ill; when he is desperate of ever regaining his health he has a dream which commands him to send for Sylvester. He obeys, and Sylvester receives Constantine's messengers in his cave and swiftly baptizes them, whereafter (having shown them several miracles) he is led back to Constantine, whom he baptizes also, and cures. In this story, Constantine and his entourage are not pagans but Jews.[17]

Another legend has Sylvester slaying a dragon. He is often depicted with the dying beast.[18][19]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"Patron Saints Index: Pope Saint Sylvester I".Saints.sqpn.com. 5 January 2010.Retrieved29 December2013.
  2. ^January 15, / January 2.https://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/htc/orthodox-calendar/
  3. ^Annuario Pontificio per L'anno 2008[Pontifical Yearbook for the year 2008] (in Italian). [Vatican City] Citta Del Vaticano:Libreria Editrice Vaticana.2008. p. 8*.ISBN978-88-209-8021-4.
  4. ^Lieu, Samuel N.C. (2006). "Constantine in Legendary Literature". In Lenski, Noel (ed.).The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine.Cambridge University Press. pp. 298–323.ISBN978-0-521-52157-4.
  5. ^Cross, F. L.; Livingstone, E. A., eds. (2005). "Sylvester I, St.".The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church(3rd rev. ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-280290-3.
  6. ^ab"Pope St. Sylvester I: Saw beginning of Christian empire in Rome".Catholic News Herald.23 May 2016.Retrieved30 January2024.
  7. ^Butler, Alban (1981).Butler's Lives of the Saints, Volume 4.Christian Classics. p. 644.ISBN978-0-87061-046-2.Retrieved1 January2017.
  8. ^Archer, Thomas Andrew(1911)."Silvester (popes)".InChisholm, Hugh(ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  9. ^abcdePublic DomainOne or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Kirsch, J.P.(1912)."Pope St. Sylvester I".In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  10. ^Dietz, Helen (2005)."The Eschatological Dimension of Church Architecture: The Biblical Roots of Church Orientation"(PDF).Journal of the Institute for Sacred Architecture.2005(10): 10–14. Archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2021.Retrieved18 January2023.
  11. ^Russell, Bertrand (1946).History of Western Philosophy.Psychology Press. p. 366.ISBN978-0-415-32505-9.Retrieved29 January2018.
  12. ^Reported in:Cantor, Norman F.(1993).The Civilization of the Middle Ages(Revised ed.). New York: HarperCollins. p. 177.ISBN978-0060170332.A completely revised and expanded edition of:Medieval history, the life and death of a civilization.(1963).
  13. ^Kirsch, J.P.(1912)."Pope Sylvester II".In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company.Sylvester the Second
  14. ^Cohen, Ariel (31 December 2014)."Celebrating an anti-Semitic pope on Sylvester".The Jerusalem Post.Archived fromthe originalon 31 December 2014.Retrieved31 December2014.
  15. ^RONDINELLI, Paula."Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre".Brasil Escola(in Brazilian Portuguese).Retrieved29 January2018.
  16. ^Cross, F. L.; Livingstone, E. A., eds. (2005). "Donation of Constantine".The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church(3rd rev. ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-280290-3.
  17. ^Pitrè, Giuseppe,Fiabe, novelle e racconti popolari siciliani,Volume terzo, Palermo 1875. pp. 39–42
  18. ^Pohlsander, Hans A. (2002).The Emperor Constantine.Taylor & Francis. p. 25.ISBN978-0-203-13721-5.
  19. ^Voragine, Jacobus de(1275)."The Life of Saint Silvester".Golden Legend.Retrieved29 December2013.

Literature[edit]

External links[edit]

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Pope
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