Stephanus di Roma (abt. 770 - 817)

Born about 0770 in Rome, Papal States

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Biography

Pope Stephen IV di Roma is Notable.

Stephen was the son of a noble called Marinus, of the same family as Popes Sergius II and Adrian II. He was born in Rome about the 8th or 9th Century.^[1]

He was ordained a deacon under Pope Leo III and within 10 days of Leo's death Stephen was consecrated Bishop of Rome at St Peter's Basilica.^[1]

Flocknote Popes in a Year ^[2] tells us:

Stephen IV was part of the Roman nobility and had worked for both Adrian I and St. Leo III before being elected himself. Stephen, who had been ordained a deacon by Leo, was chosen and consecrated on June 22, 816. His short papacy, lasting barely seven months, was a stark contrast to the fact that the Church had only seen two pontiffs in the 44 years prior. The few actions he was able to complete included the releasing of exiles sent away during Leo III’s reign and granting the pallium to Theodore, the bishop of Orleans (France).

Stephen, renowned for his virtues, died on January 24, 817.

Stephen IV’s most notable action as pope involved the new Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne’s son, Louis the Pious. Immediately after being elected, Stephen demanded that all Romans pledge their allegiance to Louis, after which he traveled to France to place the crown – which apparently belonged to Constantine the Great – on the emperor’s head. Louis showed his thanks by giving the pope numerous gifts, as well as re-upping the pact between the Franks and the papacy.

In 816, Formosus was born in Italy. He would become pope at the end of the 9th Century and has become infamous for being the star of the “Cadaver Synod” in which his remains were exhumed, put on trial by the successor to his successor, Pope Stephen VII, then thrown into the Tiber River. And we thought reality TV was dramatic.

Stephen died on 24 January 817 and was buried at St Peter's Basilica.^[1]

Research Notes

This profile is being updated by the Popes Project.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Wikipedia Pope Stephen IV
2. ↑ Flocknote Popes in a Year
   SOURCES (and further reading)
   John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
   Pope Stephen (IV) V - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14289b.htm
   Pope Stephen IV - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Stephen_IV
   Cadaver Synod - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod