POPE SERGIUS II, THE PRACTICE OF SIMONY BEGINS

POPE SERGIUS II, THE PRACTICE OF SIMONY BEGINS

Peter di Porca was born, sometime around 790, to a noble Roman family. He had at least one brother, Benedict. Orphaned at age 12, Pope Leo III placed him in the schola cantorum, the best school in Rome. There he did well and he joined the Church as an acolyte. Stephen...
POPE GREGORY IV AND THE END OF CHARLEMAGNE’S EMPIRE

POPE GREGORY IV AND THE END OF CHARLEMAGNE’S EMPIRE

Although Pope Gregory did more than this, he will always be associated with the sad end of the Carolingian empire. Born around 790, Gregorius was the son of John, an aristocrat in Rome. The young man grew up in the Church and was nominated cardinal-priest before he...
POPE VALENTINE, A NEW TWIST TO ELECTIONS

POPE VALENTINE, A NEW TWIST TO ELECTIONS

Pope Valentine In the 9th century, that is to say the 800s, the aristocratic community lived in the area of Via Lata, near the current Trevi Square and near an aqueduct, a source of clean water. Leontius, a Roman noble who lived in that neighborhood, had a son,...