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{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from 314 to 335}}
{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from 314 to 335}}
{{redirect|St. Sylvester|other uses|Sylvester (disambiguation)|and|Saint-Sylvestre (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|St. Sylvester|other uses|Sylvester (disambiguation)|and|Saint-Sylvestre (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Pope
| type = Pope
| honorific-prefix = [[Pope Saint]]
| honorific-prefix = [[Pope Saint]]
| name = Sylvester I
| name = Sylvester I
| title = [[Bishop of Rome]]
| title = [[Bishop of Rome]]
| church = [[Catholic Church]]
| church = [[Nicene Christianity|Nicene Church]]
| image = Reliquary of Pope Sylvester I PEAE Zadar.jpg
| image = Reliquary of Pope Sylvester I PEAE Zadar.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = 14th century head reliquary, [[Zadar]]
| caption = 14th-century head reliquary, [[Zadar]]
| term_start = 31 January 314
| term_start = 31 January 314
| term_end = 31 December 335
| term_end = 31 December 335
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| successor = [[Pope Mark|Mark]]
| successor = [[Pope Mark|Mark]]
| birth_date = 285
| birth_date = 285
| birth_place = [[Sant'Angelo a Scala]], [[Avellino]]
| birth_place = [[Sant'Angelo a Scala|Asculam]], [[Roman Empire]]
| death_date = 31 December 335 (aged 49 – 50)
| death_date = 31 December 335 (aged 50)
| death_place = [[Rome]], [[Italy]]<ref name="sqpn"/>
| death_place = [[Rome]], Roman Empire<ref name="sqpn"/>
| other = Sylvester
| other = Sylvester
| feast_day = {{unbulleted list|31 December ([[Catholic Church|Catholic]])|2 January ([[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]])|22 December ([[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian]])}}
| feast_day = {{unbulleted list|31 December ([[Catholic Church|Catholic]])|2 January ([[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]])|22 December ([[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian]])}}
| venerated = {{unbulleted list|[[Catholic Church]]|[[Anglican Communion]]|[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]|[[Armenian Apostolic Church]]|[[Lutheran World Federation|Lutheran Church]]}}
| venerated = {{unbulleted list|[[Catholic Church]]|[[Anglican Communion]]|[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]<ref>January 15, / January 2. https://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/htc/orthodox-calendar/</ref>|[[Armenian Apostolic Church]]|[[Lutheran World Federation|Lutheran Church]]}}
| attributes = {{unbulleted list|Papal vestments|[[Papal tiara]]}}
| attributes = {{ubl|Papal vestments|[[Papal tiara]]|Bull|Dragon}}
| patronage = {{unbulleted list|[[Feroleto Antico]]<ref name="sqpn">{{cite web|url=http://saints.sqpn.com/pope-saint-sylvester-i/ |title=Patron Saints Index: Pope Saint Sylvester I |date=5 January 2010 |publisher=Saints.sqpn.com |access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref>|[[Sylvestrines|Sylvestrine]]|[[Benedictines]]|[[Nonantola]]}}
| patronage = {{ubl|[[Feroleto Antico]]<ref name="sqpn">{{cite web|url=http://saints.sqpn.com/pope-saint-sylvester-i/ |title=Patron Saints Index: Pope Saint Sylvester I |date=5 January 2010 |publisher=Saints.sqpn.com |access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref>|[[Sylvestrines|Sylvestrine]]|[[Benedictines]]|[[Nonantola]]}}
}}
}}


'''Pope Sylvester I''' (also '''Silvester''', 285 – 31 December 335) was the [[bishop of Rome]] from 31 January 314 until his death.<ref>''Annuario Pontificio'' ([[Libreria Editrice Vaticana]] 2008 {{ISBN|978-88-209-8021-4}}), p. 8*</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenski |first1=Noel |title=The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine |date=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-52157-4 |page=298 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Cambridge_Companion_to_the_Age_of_Co/cfRTip1qBJcC |language=en}}</ref> He filled the see of Rome at an important era in the history of the [[Western Church]], yet very little is known of him.<ref>''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' (Oxford University Press 2005 {{ISBN|978-0-19-280290-3}}), article "Sylvester I, St"</ref> The accounts of his pontificate preserved in the seventh- or eighth-century ''[[Liber Pontificalis]]'' contain little more than a record of the gifts said to have been conferred on the church by [[Constantine I]],<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Silvester (popes)}}</ref> although it does say that he was the son of a Roman named Rufinus.<ref name="CathEnc">{{CathEncy|wstitle =Pope St. Sylvester I}}</ref> His feast is celebrated as [[Saint Sylvester's Day]], on 31 December in Western Christianity, and on 2 January in [[Eastern Christianity]].<ref name=Butler1981>{{cite book|last=Butler|first=Alban|title=Butler's Lives of the Saints, Volume 4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ego8AQAAIAAJ|access-date=1 January 2017|year=1981|publisher=Christian Classics|language=en|page=644|isbn=978-0-87061-046-2}}</ref>
'''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.<ref>{{cite book |title=Annuario Pontificio per L'anno 2008. |date=2008 |publisher=[[Libreria Editrice Vaticana]] |page=8* |location=[Vatican City] Citta Del Vaticano |isbn=978-88-209-8021-4 |language=it |trans-title=Pontifical Yearbook for the year 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Lenski |editor-first=Noel |title=The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine |date=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-52157-4 |pages=298–323 |chapter=Constantine in Legendary Literature |last1=Lieu |first1=Samuel N.C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cfRTip1qBJcC |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor1-last=Cross |editor1-first=F. L.|editor2-first=E. A. |editor2-last=Livingstone |title=Sylvester I, St. |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-280290-3 |edition=3rd rev. |encyclopedia=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church}}</ref>


During his pontificate, he notably convened the [[Council of Arles]] in 314, which condemned the separatist [[Donatism|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]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=23 May 2016 |title=Pope St. Sylvester I: Saw beginning of Christian empire in Rome |url=https://catholicnewsherald.com/faith/190-news/faith/faith-dec/146-pope-st-sylvester-i-saw-beginning-of-christian-empire-in-rome |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Catholic News Herald |language=en-gb}}</ref>
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==Pontificate==
⚫
Large churches were founded and built during Sylvester I's pontificate, including [[Basilica of St. John Lateran]], [[Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem]], [[Old St. Peter's Basilica]] and several churches built over the graves of [[martyr]]s.<ref name="CathEnc"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Dietz |first=Helen |url=http://www.sacredarchitecture.org/articles/the_eschatological_dimension_of_church_architecture/ |title=Helen Dietz: "The Eschatological Dimension of Church Architecture". ''The Biblical Roots of Church Orientation''. 2005 |publisher=Sacredarchitecture.org |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref>


Sylvester I's pontificate coincided with the construction of churches including [[Old St. Peter's Basilica]], the [[Santa Croce in Gerusalemme|Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem]] (Santa Croce in Gerusalemme), as well as the [[Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran]].<ref name=":0" /> His feast is celebrated as [[Saint Sylvester's Day]], on 31 December in Western Christianity, and on 2 January in [[Eastern Christianity]].<ref name="Butler1981">{{cite book|last=Butler|first=Alban|title=Butler's Lives of the Saints, Volume 4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ego8AQAAIAAJ|access-date=1 January 2017|year=1981|publisher=Christian Classics|language=en|page=644|isbn=978-0-87061-046-2}}</ref>
Sylvester did not attend the [[First Council of Nicaea]] in 325, where the [[Nicene Creed]] was formulated, but he was represented by two legates, Vitus and Vincentius, and he approved the council's decision.

== Personal biography ==
The accounts of his pontificate preserved in the seventh- or eighth-century {{lang|la|[[Liber Pontificalis]]}} contain little more than a record of the gifts said to have been conferred on the church by [[Constantine I]],<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Silvester (popes)|volume=25|last1=Archer|first1=Thomas Andrew|author1-link=Thomas Andrew Archer}}</ref> although it does say that he was the son of a Roman named Rufinus.<ref name="CathEnc">{{Source-attribution|{{cite Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Pope St. Sylvester I|last=Kirsch|first=J.P.|author-link=Johann Peter Kirsch|volume=14}}|inline=y}}</ref>

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==Pontificate==
⚫
Large churches were founded and built during Sylvester I's pontificate, including [[Basilica of St. John Lateran]], [[Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem]], [[Old St. Peter's Basilica]] and several churches built over the graves of [[martyr]]s.<ref name="CathEnc"/><ref>{{cite journal |last=Dietz |first=Helen |url=https://www.sacredarchitecture.org/issues/volume_10 |title=The Eschatological Dimension of Church Architecture: The Biblical Roots of Church Orientation |journal=Journal of the Institute for Sacred Architecture |date=2005 |volume=2005 |issue=10 |pages=10–14 |access-date=18 January 2023 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209093322/https://www.sacredarchitecture.org/images/uploads/volumesPDFs/Issue_10_2005.pdf}} </ref>


One of the [[Symmachian forgeries]], the ''[[Constitutum Silvestri]]'', is an apocryphal alleged account of a Roman council, which partially builds on legends in the ''[[Acts of Sylvester]]'' which has been preserved in Greek, [[Syriac language|Syriac]], and in [[Latin]] and the fictional stories of Sylvester's close relationship with the first Christian emperor. These also appear in the ''[[Donation of Constantine]]''.<ref name="CathEnc"/>
One of the [[Symmachian forgeries]], the ''[[Constitutum Silvestri]]'', is an apocryphal alleged account of a Roman council, which partially builds on legends in the ''[[Acts of Sylvester]]'' which has been preserved in Greek, [[Syriac language|Syriac]], and in [[Latin]] and the fictional stories of Sylvester's close relationship with the first Christian emperor. These also appear in the ''[[Donation of Constantine]]''.<ref name="CathEnc"/>
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Long after his death, the figure of Sylvester was embroidered upon in a fictional account of his relationship to Constantine, which seemed to successfully support the later [[Pope Gelasius I|Gelasian doctrine]] of [[papal supremacy]], papal ''auctoritas'' (authority) guiding imperial ''potestas'' (power), the doctrine that is embodied in the forged ''[[Donation of Constantine]]'' of the eighth century. In the fiction, of which an early version is represented in the early sixth-century ''[[Symmachean forgeries]]'' emanating from the curia of [[Pope Symmachus]] (died 514), the Emperor Constantine was cured of [[leprosy]] by the virtue of the baptismal water administered by Sylvester.<ref name="Russell1946">{{cite book|last=Russell|first=Bertrand|title=History of Western Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ey94E3sOMA0C&pg=PA366|access-date=29 January 2018|year=1946|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-32505-9|page=366}}</ref>
Long after his death, the figure of Sylvester was embroidered upon in a fictional account of his relationship to Constantine, which seemed to successfully support the later [[Pope Gelasius I|Gelasian doctrine]] of [[papal supremacy]], papal ''auctoritas'' (authority) guiding imperial ''potestas'' (power), the doctrine that is embodied in the forged ''[[Donation of Constantine]]'' of the eighth century. In the fiction, of which an early version is represented in the early sixth-century ''[[Symmachean forgeries]]'' emanating from the curia of [[Pope Symmachus]] (died 514), the Emperor Constantine was cured of [[leprosy]] by the virtue of the baptismal water administered by Sylvester.<ref name="Russell1946">{{cite book|last=Russell|first=Bertrand|title=History of Western Philosophy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ey94E3sOMA0C&pg=PA366|access-date=29 January 2018|year=1946|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-32505-9|page=366}}</ref>


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The Emperor, abjectly grateful, not only confirmed the [[bishop of Rome]] as the primate above all other bishops, he resigned his imperial insignia and walked before Sylvester's horse holding the Pope's bridle as the papal groom. The Pope, in return, offered the crown of his own good will to Constantine, who abandoned Rome to the pope and took up residence in [[Constantinople]]. "The doctrine behind this charming story is a radical one," [[Norman F. Cantor]] observes: "The pope is supreme over all rulers, even the Roman emperor, who owes his crown to the pope and therefore may be deposed by papal decree". The legend gained wide circulation; [[Gregory of Tours]] referred to this political legend in his history of the Franks, written in the 580s.<ref>Reported in: {{cite book |last1=Cantor |first1=Norman F. |author1-link=Norman Cantor |title=The Civilization of the Middle Ages |date=1993 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=978-0060170332 |page=177 |edition=Revised |id=A completely revised and expanded edition of: ''Medieval history, the life and death of a civilization''. (1963)}}</ref>
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[[File:Sylvester I and Constantine.jpg|thumb|left|Pope Sylvester I and Constantine in a 1247 fresco]]
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The Emperor, abjectly grateful, not only confirmed the [[bishop of Rome]] as the primate above all other bishops, he resigned his imperial insignia and walked before Sylvester's horse holding the Pope's bridle as the papal groom. The Pope, in return, offered the crown of his own good will to Constantine, who abandoned Rome to the pope and took up residence in [[Constantinople]]. "The doctrine behind this charming story is a radical one," [[Norman F. Cantor]] observes: "The pope is supreme over all rulers, even the Roman emperor, who owes his crown to the pope and therefore may be deposed by papal decree". The legend gained wide circulation; [[Gregory of Tours]] referred to this political legend in his history of the Franks, written in the 580s.<ref>Reported in [[Norman F. Cantor]], ''The Civilization of the Middle Ages'', 1993:177.</ref>


[[Pope Sylvester II]], himself a close associate of [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor]], chose the name ''Sylvester'' in imitation of Sylvester I.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}
[[Pope Sylvester II]], himself a close associate of [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor]], chose the name ''Sylvester'' in imitation of Sylvester I.<ref name="CathEnc"/><ref name="the 2nd">{{cite Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Pope Sylvester II||last=Kirsch|first=J.P.|author-link=Johann Peter Kirsch|volume=14 }} Sylvester the Second</ref>


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In the West, the liturgical feast of Saint Sylvester is on 31 December, the day of his burial in the [[Catacomb of Priscilla]].<ref name="CathEnc"/> This is now the last day in the year and, accordingly, in German-speaking countries and in some others close to them, [[New Year's Eve]] is known as ''[[Silvester]]''. In some other countries, too, the day is usually referred to as ''Saint Sylvester's Day'' or the ''Feast of Saint Sylvester''.<ref name=jpost>{{cite news|last1=Cohen|first1=Ariel|title=Celebrating an anti-Semitic pope on Sylvester|url=http://www.jpost.com/Christian-News/Celebrating-an-Anti-Semitic-Pope-on-Sylvester-386256|access-date=31 December 2014|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=31 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231172036/http://www.jpost.com/Christian-News/Celebrating-an-Anti-Semitic-Pope-on-Sylvester-386256|archive-date=31 December 2014}}</ref> In [[São Paulo]], Brazil, a long-distance running event called the ''[[Saint Silvester Road Race]]'' occurs every year on 31 December.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.brasilescola.com/educacao-fisica/corrida-internacional-sao-silvestre.htm |title=Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre |last=Rondinelli |first=Paula |website=Brasil Escola |language=pt-BR |access-date=29 January 2018}}</ref>
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[[File:Reliquie di san silvestro papa nonantola 2020-08-06.jpg|thumb|Relics of Saint Sylvester in [[Territorial Abbey of Nonantola|the Abbey of Saint Sylvester]] in [[Nonantola]] ]]

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In the West, the liturgical feast of Saint Sylvester is on 31 December, the day of his burial in the [[Catacomb of Priscilla]].<ref name="CathEnc"/> This is now the last day in the year and, accordingly, in German-speaking countries and in some others close to them, [[New Year's Eve]] is known as ''[[Silvester]]''. In some other countries, too, the day is usually referred to as ''Saint Sylvester's Day'' or the ''Feast of Saint Sylvester''.<ref name=jpost>{{cite news|last1=Cohen|first1=Ariel|title=Celebrating an anti-Semitic pope on Sylvester|url=http://www.jpost.com/Christian-News/Celebrating-an-Anti-Semitic-Pope-on-Sylvester-386256|access-date=31 December 2014|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=31 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231172036/http://www.jpost.com/Christian-News/Celebrating-an-Anti-Semitic-Pope-on-Sylvester-386256|archive-date=31 December 2014}}</ref> In [[São Paulo]], Brazil, a long-distance running event called the ''[[Saint Silvester Road Race]]'' occurs every year on 31 December.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.brasilescola.com/educacao-fisica/corrida-internacional-sao-silvestre.htm |title=Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre |last=RONDINELLI |first=Paula |website=Brasil Escola |language=pt-BR |access-date=29 January 2018}}</ref>
<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
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File:Sylvester I and Constantine.jpg|Pope Sylvester I and Constantine in a 1247 fresco
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File:Reliquie di san silvestro papa nonantola 2020-08-06.jpg|Relics of Saint Sylvester in [[Territorial Abbey of Nonantola|the Abbey of Saint Sylvester]] in [[Nonantola]]
</gallery>


===Legendary===
===Legendary===
[[File:popesylvesterdragon.jpg|thumb|Pope Sylvester I portrayed slaying a dragon and resurrecting its victims, a [[fresco]] by [[Maso di Banco]]]]
[[File:popesylvesterdragon.jpg|thumb|Pope Sylvester I portrayed slaying a dragon and resurrecting its victims, a [[fresco]] by [[Maso di Banco]]]]
The ''[[Donation of Constantine]]'' is a document [[forgery|fabricated]] in the second half of the eighth century, purporting to be a record by the Emperor himself of his conversion, the profession of his new faith, and the privileges he conferred on Pope Sylvester I, his clergy, and their successors. According to it, Pope Sylvester was offered the imperial crown, which, however, he refused.<ref>''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' (Oxford University Press 2005 {{ISBN|978-0-19-280290-3}}), article ''Donation of Constantine''</ref>
The ''[[Donation of Constantine]]'' is a document [[forgery|fabricated]] in the second half of the eighth century, purporting to be a record by the Emperor himself of his conversion, the profession of his new faith, and the privileges he conferred on Pope Sylvester I, his clergy, and their successors. According to it, Pope Sylvester was offered the imperial crown, which, however, he refused.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor1-last=Cross |editor1-first=F. L.|editor2-first=E. A. |editor2-last=Livingstone |title=Donation of Constantine |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-280290-3 |edition=3rd rev. |encyclopedia=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church}}</ref>


"Lu Santu Papa Silvestru", a story in [[Giuseppe Pitrè]]'s collection of Sicilian fables, recounts the legend as follows: Constantine the king wants to take a second wife, and asks Sylvester. Sylvester denies him permission, calling on heaven as witness; Constantine threatens him, and Sylvester, rather than give in, escapes into the woods. Not long after, Constantine falls ill; when he is desperate of ever regaining his health he has a dream which commands him to send for Sylvester. He obeys, and Sylvester receives Constantine's messengers in his cave and swiftly baptizes them, whereafter (having shown them several miracles) he is led back to Constantine, whom he baptizes also, and cures. In this story, Constantine and his entourage are not pagans but Jews.<ref>Pitrè, Giuseppe, ''Fiabe, novelle e racconti popolari siciliani'', Volume terzo, Palermo 1875. pp. 39–42</ref>
{{lang|scn|Lu Santu Papa Silvestru}}, a story in [[Giuseppe Pitrè]]'s collection of Sicilian fables, recounts the legend as follows: Constantine the king wants to take a second wife, and asks Sylvester. Sylvester denies him permission, calling on heaven as witness; Constantine threatens him, and Sylvester, rather than give in, escapes into the woods. Not long after, Constantine falls ill; when he is desperate of ever regaining his health he has a dream which commands him to send for Sylvester. He obeys, and Sylvester receives Constantine's messengers in his cave and swiftly baptizes them, whereafter (having shown them several miracles) he is led back to Constantine, whom he baptizes also, and cures. In this story, Constantine and his entourage are not pagans but Jews.<ref>Pitrè, Giuseppe, ''Fiabe, novelle e racconti popolari siciliani'', Volume terzo, Palermo 1875. pp. 39–42</ref>


Another legend has Sylvester slaying a dragon. He is often depicted with the dying beast.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pohlsander|first=Hans A.|title=The Emperor Constantine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HXq0vaxe7mQC&pg=PA25+|year=2002|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-203-13721-5|page=25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Voragine|first=Jacobus de|author-link=Jacobus de Voragine |title=The Life of Saint Silvester|year=1275|url=http://saints.sqpn.com/the-golden-legend-the-life-of-saint-silvester|work=[[Golden Legend]]|access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref>
Another legend has Sylvester slaying a dragon. He is often depicted with the dying beast.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pohlsander|first=Hans A.|title=The Emperor Constantine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HXq0vaxe7mQC&pg=PA25+|year=2002|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-203-13721-5|page=25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Voragine|first=Jacobus de|author-link=Jacobus de Voragine |title=The Life of Saint Silvester|year=1275|url=http://saints.sqpn.com/the-golden-legend-the-life-of-saint-silvester|work=[[Golden Legend]]|access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref>

== Churches ==
Among churches dedicated to St. Sylvester is [[St. Sylvester, Schwabing]], in [[Munich]], with wall paintings depicting scenes from the legends around him and [[San Silvestro in Capite]] in Rome.


==See also==
==See also==
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* {{BBKL|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629123246/http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/s/silvester_i.shtml |band=10|spalte=338–341|autor=Gisela Schmitt}}
* {{BBKL|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629123246/http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/s/silvester_i.shtml |band=10|spalte=338–341|autor=Gisela Schmitt}}
* {{Catholic Encyclopedia|http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14370a.htm|title=Pope St. Sylvester I (314–335)|author=[[Johann Peter Kirsch]]|volume=14||SeiteVon=|SeiteBis=|Kommentar=|kurz=}}
* {{Catholic Encyclopedia|http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14370a.htm|title=Pope St. Sylvester I (314–335)|author=[[Johann Peter Kirsch]]|volume=14||SeiteVon=|SeiteBis=|Kommentar=|kurz=}}
* {{EnciclopediaDeiPapi|Verfasser=Francesco Scorza Barcellona|ID=santo-silvestro-i_(Enciclopedia_dei_Papi)|Lemma=SILVESTRO I, santo|Band=|SeiteVon=|SeiteBis=|Kommentar=|kurz=}}
* {{EnciclopediaDeiPapi|Verfasser=Francesco Scorza Barcellona|ID=santo-silvestro-i_(Enciclopedia_dei_Papi)|Lemma=Silvestro I, santo|Band=|SeiteVon=|SeiteBis=|Kommentar=|kurz=}}
* H.U. Instinsky: ''Silvester I''. In: [[Josef Höfer]], [[Karl Rahner]] (Hrsg.): ''[[Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche]]''. 2. Auflage. Band 9. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1964, Sp 757–758.
* H.U. Instinsky: ''Silvester I''. In: [[Josef Höfer]], [[Karl Rahner]] (Hrsg.): ''[[Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche]]''. 2. Auflage. Band 9. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1964, Sp 757–758.
* {{LexMA|5|1385|1387|Konstantinische Schenkung|[[Horst Fuhrmann]]||<!--Kommentar-->}}
* {{LexMA|5|1385|1387|Konstantinische Schenkung|[[Horst Fuhrmann]]||<!--Kommentar-->}}
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Sylvester I}}
{{Commons category|Sylvester I}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121005132929/http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/01_01_0314-0335-_Silvester_I,_Sanctus.html Opera Omnia by Migne]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121005132929/http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/01_01_0314-0335-_Silvester_I,_Sanctus.html Opera Omnia by Migne] {{inlang|la}}
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* [http://www.heiligenlexikon.de/index.htm?Legenda_Aurea/Silvester_I.htm Legenda Aurea] {{inlang|de}}
*[http://www.stpetersbasilica.info/Exterior/Colonnades/Saints/St%20Silvester-114/StSilvester.htm Colonnade Statue in St Peter's Square]
* [https://biserica-sfantul-silvestru.ro/acatistul-sfantului-silvestru Akathist to Saint Sylvester] {{inlang|ro}}
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* [http://www.heiligenlexikon.de/index.htm?Legenda_Aurea/Silvester_I.htm Legenda Aurea]
*[https://biserica-sfantul-silvestru.ro/acatistul-sfantului-silvestru Akathist to Saint Sylvester]
* [https://doxologia.ro/canoane/canon-de-rugaciune-catre-sfantul-ierarh-silvestru-episcopul-romei Canon to Saint Sylvester] {{inlang|ro}}
*[https://doxologia.ro/canoane/canon-de-rugaciune-catre-sfantul-ierarh-silvestru-episcopul-romei Canon to Saint Sylvester]


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Latest revision as of 15:53, 18 November 2024

"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]

Personal biography

[edit]

The accounts of his pontificate preserved in the seventh- or eighth-century Liber Pontificalis contain little more than a record of the gifts said to have been conferred on the church by Constantine I,[8] although it does say that he was the son of a Roman named Rufinus.[9]

Pontificate

[edit]

Large churches were founded and built during Sylvester I's pontificate, including Basilica of St. John Lateran, Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, Old St. Peter's Basilica and several churches built over the graves of martyrs.[9][10]

One of the Symmachian forgeries, the Constitutum Silvestri, is an apocryphal alleged account of a Roman council, which partially builds on legends in the Acts of Sylvester which has been preserved in Greek, Syriac, and in Latin and the fictional stories of Sylvester's close relationship with the first Christian emperor. These also appear in the Donation of Constantine.[9]

Legacy

[edit]

Long after his death, the figure of Sylvester was embroidered upon in a fictional account of his relationship to Constantine, which seemed to successfully support the later Gelasian doctrine of papal supremacy, papal auctoritas (authority) guiding imperial potestas (power), the doctrine that is embodied in the forged Donation of Constantine of the eighth century. In the fiction, of which an early version is represented in the early sixth-century Symmachean forgeries emanating from the curia of Pope Symmachus (died 514), the Emperor Constantine was cured of leprosy by the virtue of the baptismal water administered by Sylvester.[11]

The Emperor, abjectly grateful, not only confirmed the bishop of Rome as the primate above all other bishops, he resigned his imperial insignia and walked before Sylvester's horse holding the Pope's bridle as the papal groom. The Pope, in return, offered the crown of his own good will to Constantine, who abandoned Rome to the pope and took up residence in Constantinople. "The doctrine behind this charming story is a radical one," Norman F. Cantor observes: "The pope is supreme over all rulers, even the Roman emperor, who owes his crown to the pope and therefore may be deposed by papal decree". The legend gained wide circulation; Gregory of Tours referred to this political legend in his history of the Franks, written in the 580s.[12]

Pope Sylvester II, himself a close associate of Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, chose the name Sylvester in imitation of Sylvester I.[9][13]

In the West, the liturgical feast of Saint Sylvester is on 31 December, the day of his burial in the Catacomb of Priscilla.[9] This is now the last day in the year and, accordingly, in German-speaking countries and in some others close to them, New Year's Eve is known as Silvester. In some other countries, too, the day is usually referred to as Saint Sylvester's Day or the Feast of Saint Sylvester.[14] In São Paulo, Brazil, a long-distance running event called the Saint Silvester Road Race occurs every year on 31 December.[15]

Legendary

[edit]
Pope Sylvester I portrayed slaying a dragon and resurrecting its victims, a fresco by Maso di Banco

The Donation of Constantine is a document fabricated in the second half of the eighth century, purporting to be a record by the Emperor himself of his conversion, the profession of his new faith, and the privileges he conferred on Pope Sylvester I, his clergy, and their successors. According to it, Pope Sylvester was offered the imperial crown, which, however, he refused.[16]

Lu Santu Papa Silvestru, a story in Giuseppe Pitrè's collection of Sicilian fables, recounts the legend as follows: Constantine the king wants to take a second wife, and asks Sylvester. Sylvester denies him permission, calling on heaven as witness; Constantine threatens him, and Sylvester, rather than give in, escapes into the woods. Not long after, Constantine falls ill; when he is desperate of ever regaining his health he has a dream which commands him to send for Sylvester. He obeys, and Sylvester receives Constantine's messengers in his cave and swiftly baptizes them, whereafter (having shown them several miracles) he is led back to Constantine, whom he baptizes also, and cures. In this story, Constantine and his entourage are not pagans but Jews.[17]

Another legend has Sylvester slaying a dragon. He is often depicted with the dying beast.[18][19]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  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.
  8. ^ Archer, Thomas Andrew (1911). "Silvester (popes)" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  9. ^ a b c d e Public Domain One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Kirsch, J.P. (1912). "Pope St. Sylvester I" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  10. ^ Dietz, Helen (2005). "The Eschatological Dimension of Church Architecture: The Biblical Roots of Church Orientation" (PDF). Journal of the Institute for Sacred Architecture. 2005 (10): 10–14. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  11. ^ Russell, Bertrand (1946). History of Western Philosophy. Psychology Press. p. 366. ISBN 978-0-415-32505-9. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  12. ^ Reported in: Cantor, Norman F. (1993). The Civilization of the Middle Ages (Revised ed.). New York: HarperCollins. p. 177. ISBN 978-0060170332. A completely revised and expanded edition of: Medieval history, the life and death of a civilization. (1963).
  13. ^ Kirsch, J.P. (1912). "Pope Sylvester II" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Sylvester the Second
  14. ^ Cohen, Ariel (31 December 2014). "Celebrating an anti-Semitic pope on Sylvester". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  15. ^ Rondinelli, Paula. "Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre". Brasil Escola (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  16. ^ Cross, F. L.; Livingstone, E. A., eds. (2005). "Donation of Constantine". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd rev. ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3.
  17. ^ Pitrè, Giuseppe, Fiabe, novelle e racconti popolari siciliani, Volume terzo, Palermo 1875. pp. 39–42
  18. ^ Pohlsander, Hans A. (2002). The Emperor Constantine. Taylor & Francis. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-203-13721-5.
  19. ^ Voragine, Jacobus de (1275). "The Life of Saint Silvester". Golden Legend. Retrieved 29 December 2013.

Literature

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[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sylvester I.
Titles of the Great Christian Church
Preceded by Bishop of Rome
Pope
314–335 		Succeeded by
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