Popes & Antipopes, LIN-VIC
Meet the popes whose devotion, leadership, writings, and influence left a lasting mark on Christian history and religious life.
Popes & Antipopes Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Linus, St.
St. Linus ; feast day September 23) was the pope from about 67 to 76 or 79, who may have been the immediate successor......
Lucius I, St.
St. Lucius I ; feast day March 4) was the pope from June 253 to March 254. Lucius is honoured in Denmark as the......
Lucius II
Lucius II was the pope from 1144 to 1145. He was made cardinal by Pope Callixtus II in 1123 and papal chancellor......
Lucius III
Lucius III was the pope from 1181 to 1185. A Cistercian monk whom Pope Innocent II had made cardinal in 1141, Lucius......
Marcellinus, St.
St. Marcellinus ; feast day June 2) was the pope probably from 291/296 to 304, although the dates of his reign,......
Marcellus I, St.
St. Marcellus I ; feast day January 16) was the pope from December 306 to January 308 or from May or June 308 to......
Marcellus II
Marcellus II was the pope from April 9/10 to May 1, 1555. He was one of the few popes in the modern period to retain......
Marinus I
Marinus I was the pope from 882 to 884. He was a deacon when, in 869, Pope Adrian II sent him as emissary to the......
Marinus II
Marinus II was the pope from 942 to 946. He was a priest when nominated by the senator Alberic II, marquess of......
Mark, Saint
Saint Mark ; feast day October 7) was the pope from Jan. 18 (?) to Oct. 7, 336. He is credited with having given......
Martin I, St
St. Martin I ; feast day April 13) was the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, from 649 to 653. He is......
Martin IV
Martin IV was the pope from 1281 to 1285. Of noble birth, Martin was a member of the council of King Louis IX of......
Martin V
Martin V was the pope from 1417 to 1431. A cardinal subdeacon who had helped organize the Council of Pisa in 1409,......
Miltiades, St.
St. Miltiades ; feast day December 10) was the pope from 311 to 314. Miltiades became the first pope after the......
Nicholas
Nicholas (V) was the last imperial antipope, whose reign (May 1328 to August 1330) in Rome rivalled the pontificate......
Nicholas I, Saint
Saint Nicholas I ; feast day November 13) was the pope from 858 to 867, master theorist of papal power, considered......
Nicholas II
Nicholas II was the pope from 1059 to 1061, a major figure in the Gregorian Reform. Born in a region near Cluny,......
Nicholas III
Nicholas III was the pope from 1277 to 1280. Of noble birth, he was made cardinal in 1244 by Pope Innocent IV and......
Nicholas IV
Nicholas IV was the pope from 1288 to 1292, the first Franciscan pontiff. He joined the Franciscans when young......
Nicholas V
Nicholas V was an influential Renaissance pope (reigned 1447–55) and founder of the Vatican Library. Soon after......
Novatian
Novatian was the second antipope in papal history, in 251. He was the first Roman theologian to write in Latin......
Paschal
Paschal (I) was an antipope against both the rival antipope Theodore and the legitimate pope St. Sergius I during......
Paschal
Paschal (III) was an antipope from 1164 to 1168. Against Pope Alexander III, he was one of the original supporters......
Paschal I, Saint
Saint Paschal I ; feast day May 14) was the pope from 817 to 824. A priest who had served in the Curia, Paschal......
Paschal II
Paschal II was the pope from 1099 to 1118. He entered a monastery as a boy and was made cardinal by Pope St. Gregory......
Paul I, Saint
Saint Paul I ; feast day June 28) was the pope from 757 to 767. His alliance with the Franks strengthened the young......
Paul II
Paul II was an Italian pope from 1464 to 1471. He was bishop of the Italian cities of Cervia and Vicenza before......
Paul III
Paul III was an Italian noble who was the last of the Renaissance popes (reigned 1534–49) and the first pope of......
Paul IV
Paul IV was an Italian Counter-Reformation pope from 1555 to 1559, whose anti-Spanish policy renewed the war between......
Paul V
Paul V was an Italian pope from 1605 to 1621. A distinguished canon lawyer, he was papal envoy to Spain for Pope......
Paul VI, St
St. Paul VI ; canonized October 14, 2018; feast day September 26) was the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic......
Pelagius I
Pelagius I was the pope from 556 to 561. His ecclesiastical roles under the popes St. Agapetus I, St. Silverius,......
Pelagius II
Pelagius II was pope from 579 to 590. Pelagius, who was of Gothic descent, was consecrated as Pope Benedict I’s......
Peter the Apostle, St
St. Peter the Apostle was a disciple of Jesus Christ, recognized in the early Christian church as the leader of......
Philip
Philip was an antipope in July 768. Temporal rulers coveted the papal throne following the death of Pope St. Paul......
Pius I, St.
St. Pius I ; feast day July 11) was the Latin pope from approximately 142 to about 155. Pius was formerly enslaved,......
Pius II
Pius II was an outstanding Italian humanist and astute politician who as pope (reigned 1458–64) tried to unite......
Pius III
Pius III was an Italian pope during 1503. He was made archbishop of Siena and cardinal deacon in 1460 by his uncle,......
Pius IV
Pius IV was an Italian pope (1559–65) who reconvened and concluded the Council of Trent. A canon lawyer, in 1545......
Pius IX
Pius IX ; beatified September 3, 2000, feast day February 7) was the pope, leader of the Roman Catholic Church,......
Pius V, St
St. Pius V ; canonized May 22, 1712; feast day April 30) was the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church,......
Pius VI
Pius VI was an Italian pope (1775–99) whose tragic pontificate was the longest of the 18th century. Braschi held......
Pius VII
Pius VII was an Italian pope from 1800 to 1823, whose dramatic conflicts with Napoleon led to a restoration of......
Pius VIII
Pius VIII was an Italian pope from March 1829 to November 1830. Versed in canon law, he became vicar general at......
Pius X, St
St. Pius X ; canonized May 29, 1954; feast day August 21) was the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church,......
Pius XI
Pius XI was an Italian pope from 1922 to 1939, one of the most important modern pontiffs. His papal motto, “Pax......
Pius XII
Pius XII was the pope, bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church, from 1939 to 1958. He had a long,......
Pontian, Saint
Saint Pontian ; feast day August 13) was the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, from 230 to 235. Many......
Romanus
Romanus was the pope from August to November 897. Romanus was a cardinal when elected pope in August amidst the......
Sabinian
Sabinian was an Italian pope from 604 to 606. Under Pope Gregory I the Great, he served as papal ambassador at......
Sergius I, Saint
Saint Sergius I ; feast day September 8) was the pope from 687 to 701, and he was one of the most important 7th-century......
Sergius II
Sergius II was the pope from 844 to 847. Of noble birth, Sergius was made cardinal by Pope St. Paschal I and became......
Sergius III
Sergius III was the pope from 904 to 911, during a scandalous period of pontifical history. Of noble birth, Sergius......
Sergius IV
Sergius IV was the pope from 1009 to 1012. He became bishop of Albano, Papal States, about 1004. Elected to succeed......
Severinus
Severinus was a pope who was forced to wait one and a half years for consecration because he declined to endorse......
Silverius, Saint
Saint Silverius ; feast day June 20) was an Italian pope from 536 to 537, a victim of the intrigues of the Byzantine......
Simplicius, Saint
Saint Simplicius ; feast day March 10) was pope from 468 to 483. He became Pope St. Hilary’s successor on March......
Siricius, Saint
Saint Siricius ; feast day November 26) was the pope from 384 to 399. Ordained a deacon by Pope Liberius, he was......
Sisinnius
Sisinnius was a pope from Jan. 15 to Feb. 4, 708. He was consecrated about Jan. 15, 708. Threatened by the exarch......
Sixtus I, St.
St. Sixtus I ; feast day April 3) was the pope from approximately 115 to about 125. He succeeded St. Alexander......
Sixtus II, St.
St. Sixtus II ; feast day August 7) was the pope from 257 to 258, and is one of the early Roman church’s most venerated......
Sixtus III, Saint
Saint Sixtus III ; feast day March 28) was the pope from 432 to 440. A chief Roman priest when he succeeded Pope......
Sixtus IV
Sixtus IV was the pope from 1471 to 1484 who effectively made the papacy an Italian principality. Becoming a Franciscan,......
Sixtus V
Sixtus V was the pope from 1585 to 1590, who reformed the Roman Curia. He entered the Franciscan order in 1533......
Soter, St.
St. Soter ; feast day April 22) was the pope from about 166 to about 175. Succeeding St. Anicetus as pope, Soter......
Stephen
Stephen (II) was an unconsecrated pope from March 23 to March 25, 752. He was a priest when he was elected on March......
Stephen I, St.
St. Stephen I ; feast day August 2) was the pope from 254 to 257. He was a priest when consecrated, probably on......
Stephen II
Stephen II (or III) was the pope from 752 to 757. He severed ties with the Byzantine Empire and thus became the......
Stephen III
Stephen III (or IV) was the pope from August 768 to 772. After the death in 767 of Pope St. Paul I, the papal throne......
Stephen IV
Stephen IV (or V) was the pope from June 816 to January 817. Of noble birth, he succeeded Pope St. Leo III in June......
Stephen IX
Stephen IX (or X) was the pope from August 1057 to March 1058, one of the key pontiffs to begin the Gregorian Reform.......
Stephen V
Stephen V (or VI) was the pope from 885 to 891 whose pontificate witnessed the disintegration of the Carolingian......
Stephen VI
Stephen VI (or VII) was the pope from May 896 to August 897. The era in which he was elected as the successor to......
Stephen VII
Stephen VII (or VIII) was the pope from 928 to 931. As cardinal priest of St. Anastasia, Rome, he was active in......
Stephen VIII
Stephen VIII (or IX) was the pope from 939 to 942. Educated in Germany, he became cardinal priest of the Roman......
Sylvester
Sylvester (IV) was an antipope from 1105 to 1111. While the Investiture Controversy raged between the German king......
Sylvester I, St
St. Sylvester I ; Western feast day December 31, Eastern feast day January 2) was the pope, the leader of the Roman......
Sylvester II
Sylvester II was the French head of the Roman Catholic church (999–1003), renowned for his scholarly achievements,......
Sylvester III
Sylvester III was the pope from January 20 to February 10, 1045. He was bishop of Sabina when elected pope in January......
Symmachus, Saint
Saint Symmachus ; feast day July 19) was the pope from 498 to 514. Apparently a Christian convert, Symmachus was......
Telesphorus, St.
St. Telesphorus ; Western feast day January 5; Eastern feast day February 22) was the pope from about 125 to about......
Theodore
Theodore was an antipope from September 21 to December 15, 687. A Roman archpriest, Theodore had already been a......
Theodore I
Theodore I was the pope from 642 to 649. Of Greek descent, he was noted for his generosity to the poor, though......
Theodore II
Theodore II was the pope for 20 days during December 897. He was elected during one of the darkest periods in papal......
Theodoric
Theodoric was an antipope from 1100 to 1101. As cardinal bishop of Santa Ruffina, he was elected pope by the faction......
Urban I, Saint
Saint Urban I ; feast day May 25) was the pope from 222 to 230. Succeeding that of St. Calixtus I, his pontificate......
Urban II
Urban II was the head of the Roman Catholic Church (1088–99) who developed ecclesiastical reforms begun by Pope......
Urban III
Urban III was the pope from 1185 to 1187. Of noble birth, he was made cardinal and archbishop of Milan in 1182......
Urban IV
Urban IV was the pope from 1261 to 1264. Urban was of humble origin. He was first a priest at Lyon and then professor......
Urban V, Blessed
Blessed Urban V ; beatified March 10, 1870) ; feast day December 19) was the pope from 1362 to 1370. Of noble birth,......
Urban VI
Urban VI was the pope from 1378 to 1389 whose election sparked the Western Schism (1378–1417). Archbishop first......
Urban VII
Urban VII was the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, from September 15 to September 27, 1590. Of noble......
Urban VIII
Urban VIII was the pope from 1623 to 1644. The son of an aristocratic Florentine family, Barberini filled many......
Ursinus
Ursinus was an antipope from 366 to 367. After Pope Liberius’ death on Sept. 24, 366, two Roman deacons, Ursinus......
Valentine
Valentine was a pope for about 40 days during August–September 827. He became archdeacon under Pope St. Paschal......
Victor
Victor (IV) was an antipope from March to May 29, 1138. He was a cardinal when chosen pope by a faction opposing......
Victor
Victor (IV) was an antipope from 1159 to 1164 and the second antipope designated as Victor IV. He was the first......
Victor I, St.
St. Victor I ; feast day July 28) was the pope from about 189 to 198/199. After succeeding St. Eleutherius in 189,......
Victor II
Victor II was the pope from 1055 to 1057. Victor was of noble birth and was appointed bishop of Eichstätt in 1042.......
Victor III, Blessed
Blessed Victor III ; beatified July 23, 1887) ; feast day September 16) was the pope from 1086 to 1087. Of noble......