Pope Sylvester I

"St. Sylvester" redirects here. For other uses, see Sylvester (disambiguation) and Saint-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 (also Silvester, 285 – 31 December 335) was the bishop of Rome from 31 January 314 until his death on 31 December 335.[3][4] He filled the See of Rome at an important era in the history of the Western Church, though very little is known of his life.[5]

During his pontificate, he notably convened the Council of Arles in 314, which condemned the separatist Donatist sect, and the First Council of Nicaea in 325, which aimed to resolve the Arian controversy. His pontificate also coincided with the baptism of Roman Emperor Constantine I.[6]

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

  1. ^ a b "Patron Saints Index: Pope Saint Sylvester I". Saints.sqpn.com. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  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*. ISBN 978-88-209-8021-4.
  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. ISBN 978-0-521-52157-4.
  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. ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3.
  6. ^ a b "Pope St. Sylvester I: Saw beginning of Christian empire in Rome". Catholic News Herald. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  7. ^ Butler, Alban (1981). Butler's Lives of the Saints, Volume 4. Christian Classics. p. 644. ISBN 978-0-87061-046-2. Retrieved 1 January 2017.