Pope Nicholas IV, the First Franciscan Pope

by | May 17, 2023 | Popes

Monstrance Pope Nicholas IV is one of the first popes whose exact date of birth we know. He was born Girolamo (Jerome) Masci 30 September 1227. The child was of humble birth, born in Lisciamo, near Ascoli Piceno, not too far from the beautiful Adriatic Sea. He joined...

POPE HONORIUS IV

by | May 2, 2023 | Popes

Medieval church facade Giacomo Savelli, later Pope Honorius IV, was born into an influential, wealthy Roman family sometime around 1210. His father was Luca Savelli, a Roman senator, who died in 1255. As a young man, Giacomo studied at the University of Paris. Soon...

POPE MARTIN IV, THE LAST FRENCH POPE TO REIGN IN ROME

by | May 2, 2023 | Popes

Simon de Brion, the future Pope Martin IV, was born between 1210 and 1220, in the Ile de France, an area around Paris. He lived until 28 March 1285. Simon studied at the University of Paris then went on to study law in Padua and Bologna.  In 1238, Simon joined...

POPE NICHOLAS III

by | Mar 23, 2023 | Popes

Italy today Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, later Pope Nicholas III, was a Roman born around 1225. His parents were Matteo Rosso Orsini and Perna Caetani. His was a prominent family; at least three of his brothers held influential positions later in their lives.  He got an...

ADRIAN V, POPE FOR A MONTH

by | Mar 8, 2023 | Popes

Ottobuono de’Fieschi was born between 1210 and 1220. His family was a foremost feudal clan of Liguria in the Republic of Genoa, on the Tyrrhenian Sea. He was closely related to the counts of Lavagna. His uncle was Pope Innocent IV. As expected, he seemed to live a...