The Liber Pontificalis, written in Latin in Rome in the 530s, and re-edited before 546, in its account of of Anastasius (bishop of Rome, ob. c. 401, S00571) states that he was buried in the cemetery ad Ursum Pileatum, on the via Portuensis outside Rome, on 27 April [AD 401/402].
Evidence ID
E01275
Type of Evidence
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)
Major author/Major anonymous work
Liber Pontificalis
Liber Pontificalis 41
First edition (as reconstructed by Duchesne)
Anastasius, natione Romanus, ex patre Maximo, sedit ann. III d. X... Qui etiam sepultus est ad Urso piliato V kal. mai.
'Anastasius, born in Rome, son of Maximus, held the see 3 years 10 days... He was buried ad Ursum Pileatum on 27 April.'
Second edition
Anastasius, natione Romanus, ex patre Maximo, sedit ann. III d. X... Qui etiam sepultus est in cymiterio suo ad Ursum piliatum V kal. mai.
'Anastasius, born in Rome, son of Maximus, held the see 3 years 10 days... He was buried in his own cemetery ad Ursum Pileatum on 27 April.'
Text: Duchesne 1886, 87 and 218. Translation: Davis 2010, 30.
Festivals
Saint’s feast
Cult PlacesBurial site of a saint - cemetery/catacomb
RelicsBodily relic - entire body
Source
The Liber Pontificalis consists of a series of very short lives of popes. The preface attributes it to pope Damasus (366-384), but this attribution is obviously false. According to Louis Duchesne, the first modern editor of the Liber Pontificalis, the original series of lives was written in Rome by an anonymous author, probably a member of the lesser clergy, in the 530s, and contained the lives from *Peter the Apostle to Felix IV (ob. 530). Shortly after, before 546, the text was re-edited by another anonymous author and only this edition survives. The first edition, however, can be reconstituted on the basis of its two epitomes (and the second edition). The second edition started to be continued systematically from the time of pope Honorius (625–638). It should be noted that Theodor Mommsen dated both editions of the Liber Pontificalis to the 7th century, but his opinion is widely rejected and the commonly accepted dating is that of Duchesne.For the pre-Constantinian period (before 312), the credibility of the Liber Pontificalis is very low. The chronology is confused, and details concerning the personal lives, decisions and ordinations of the bishops of Rome at best reflect what people in the 6th century trusted to be true, at worst are a pure invention of the author. The situation changes with the later lives. Already the information of 4th-century papal foundations and offerings are generally trustworthy. The early 6th-century evidence, based on the author's first hand knowledge is even better, though still imperfect.
Bibliography
Edition:Duchesne, L., Le Liber pontificalis. 2 vols (Paris: E. Thorin, 1886-1892) (with substantial introduction and commentary).
Translation:
Davis, R., The Book of Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) (Translated Texts for Historians 6; 3rd ed.; Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2010).
Record Created By
Robert Wiśniewski
Date of Entry
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00571 | Anastasius I, bishop of Rome, ob. c. 401, buried on the via Portuensis | Anastasius | Certain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Robert Wiśniewski, Cult of Saints, E01275 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01275