Paschal Massimo

Born [date unknown] in Rome, Papal States

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Biography

Saint Pope Paschal I Massimo is Notable.

Paschal was born in the 9th Century. According to Liber Pontificalis^[1], Paschal was a native of Rome. He was the son of Theodora and Bonosus. The Liber Sensuum^[1] says he was a member of the Massimo family, like his predecessor.

Paschal became pope on 25 January 817.^[2][1] He died on 11 February 824^[3][2] He was buried in the Basilica of Santa Prassede, where his mother Episcopa Theodora is also buried.^[3]

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

Paschal was born to parents Bonosus and Lady Theodora in Rome. As a young man, Paschal was well-educated and eventually made the superior of St. Stephen’s monastery, near St. Peter’s Basilica, by Pope St. Leo III. This appointment made him well known among Rome’s clergy, which explains his unanimous selection as Pope No. 98 on January 25, 817.

As pope, Paschal had to deal with a resurgence of iconoclasm in the East, and a violent one at that. He sent a delegation to persuade the emperor, Leo the Armenian, to reconsider while at the same time welcoming refugee monks to Rome for safe haven.

Paschal completely rebuilt several basilicas, and also was known for having decorated and restored bits of many others. As part of that process, Paschal moved many relics from the Roman catacombs into churches around Rome. Paschal died February 11, 824, having reigned for just over seven years. His feast day is May 14.

Paschal I followed his predecessors in dealing closely with the Frankish kings. Louis the Pious was emperor at the time of Paschal’s election, and soon afterward sent a document confirming the “rights and possessions of the Holy See.” This document also noted that the emperor would be the ruler of those lands in name only, meaning they were now officially the pope’s domain. Later in Paschal’s pontificate, he sent representatives along with generous gifts to the marriage of Lothair I, Louis’ son. A year before Paschal’s death, the pope welcomed Lothair to Rome, where Paschal crowned him emperor.

This pope seemed to have a particular devotion to St. Praxedis, a virgin and martyr from the 2nd Century. One of the basilicas restored by Paschal I was in her name, and a monastery built for monks fleeing the East was dedicated to Praxedis as well. Paschal I was ultimately buried in the Basilica of St. Praxedis (Santa Prassede) upon his death.

On Christmas Day in 820, Leo the Armenian was assassinated at the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople by a group opposing his rule. Michael II, the palace guard commander, succeeded him.

He was canonized in the sixteenth century.

Research Notes

This profile is being updated by the Popes Project.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Goodson, Caroline J. 2010. The Rome of Pope Paschal I: Papal Power, Urban Renovation, Church Rebuilding and Relic Translation, 817-824. Cambridge University Press.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Vatican
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Wikipedia Pope Paschal I
4. ↑ Flocknote Popes in a Year
   SOURCES (and further reading)
   John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
   Pope St. Paschal I - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11514a.htm
   Pope Paschal I - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paschal_I
   820s - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/820s