Valentine di Roma

Born [date unknown] in Rome, Papal States

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Biography

Pope Valentine di Roma is Notable.

He was born in Rome in the region of the Via Lata in the 8th or 9th Century, he was the son of a Roman noble called Leontius.^[1][2]

Platina^[1] states:

Valentine, a Roman, son of Leontius, being only a deacon, not a priest, was yet for his extraordinary sanctity deservedly preferred to the pontificate.

He died on the fortieth day of his pontificate, and was buried in St Peter's, all people lamenting that they were bereft of such a man, who, if he had lived, would have been an almost impregnable support to the Roman liberty and the Christian religion.

He was elected pope by the nobility while a deacon in August 827 and died 40 days later in September 827.^[3][1][2]

Flocknote Popes in a Year ^[4] tells us:

Valentine, a Roman by birth, advanced very quickly in his service of the Church. Being very holy and of pure morals, he for good reason became a favorite of both St. Paschal I and Eugene II. Valentine was ordained by Paschal to the diaconate and named archdeacon (basically, “chief deacon”), then continued to serve in that role under Eugene II. His election was unanimous among the nobility, priests, and people on August 31. Incidentally, his election wasn’t even able to be confirmed by the emperor, since Valentine died just 40 days later, at the young age of 27.

Valentine wasn’t around long enough to be known for much, but being Pope No. 100 is still pretty neat, and he's most certainly one of the youngest popes in history.

Apparently, Valentine was deep in prayer in the Basilica of St. Mary Major – and thus not even present at the election – when he was chosen to succeed Eugene II. A crowd traveled to the church and carried Valentine back to the Lateran Palace to be consecrated, despite his loud objections to let him finish praying.

Research Notes

This profile is being updated by the Popes Project.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Platina, Bartolomeo (1479) The Lives of the Popes From the Time of Our Saviour Jesus Christ to the Accession of Gregory VII, I, London: Griffith Farran & Co., p213-214, retrieved 2021-04-17.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Wikipedia Pope Valentine
3. ↑ Vatican
4. ↑ Flocknote Popes in a Year
   SOURCES (and further reading)
   John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
   Pope Valentine - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15254b.htm
   Pope Valentine - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Valentine