Sergius Antioch

Biography

Pope Sergius I Antioch is Notable.

Sergius was born into a Syrian family from Antioch. The family had moved to Palermo in Sicily.^[1][2]

He was ordained cardinal priest of Santa Susanna on 27 June 683, remaining in that position until becoming pope 15 December 687.^[1][2]

According to Bede^[3] he baptised King Cædwalla of Wessex in Rome.

He died on 7 September 701.^[1]

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

• Pope St. Sergius I was of Syrian descent, but grew up in Sicily. He came to Rome in the 670s, like his predecessor, Pope Conon, to avoid the Islamic battles there during that time. His election was full of drama as well. In Conon’s dying days, a deacon, Paschal, tried to bribe the Exarch of Ravenna, the imperial representative in charge of approving papal elections. In the meantime, Paschal’s opponents picked a priest, Theodore, as their rival choice. Seeing the fight as a bunch of papal bull-oney, the majority of clergy and civil authorities in Rome settled on a third choice – Sergius I – instead.

• Sergius was elected and consecrated on December 15, 687, and was accepted by both rival candidates...or so he thought. Pascal, secretly still wanting to be pope, tried to bribe the exarch once again to put him on the throne. But the exarch promptly said, “Sergius is the guy. But I’ll keep your gold,” sending Pascal away and pocketing his bribe anyway.

• Sergius had many dealings with the Church in England, ordaining St. Willibrord as a bishop and sending him to evangelize Germany, restoring St. Wilfrid to his see, and requesting the Venerable St. Bede as one of his key advisors. Sergius I died on September 8, 701 after almost 14 years as pope.

• Sergius is who we can thank for including the Agnus Dei (or Lamb of God) chant at the point in which the Host is broken at Mass. This was part of Sergius’ adamant opposition to the Quinisext Council and Justinian II, which, among other things, had tried to omit all depictions of Christ as Lamb.

• At this time, the Dome of the Rock, the first major structure of Islamic architecture, was completed in Jerusalem in 691. Octagonal in shape and iconic for its massive golden dome, it’s thought to have been modeled after a Byzantine church called the Church of the Seat of Mary, whose ru were discovered in the 1990s.

Research Notes

This profile is being updated by the Popes Project.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Vatican
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Pope Sergius I
3. ↑ Bede Ecclesiastical History , Book V, Ch. 7, from Sherley-Price's translation, p. 275
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. Sergius I - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04311b.htm
   Pope Sergius I - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sergius_I
   Dome of the Rock - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock