The short Life of *Agatho (bishop of Rome, ob. 681, 00872) in the Liber Pontificalis, written in Latin in Rome soon after his death, mentions several cult places in Constantinople: an oratory of *Peter (the Apostle, S00036) in the imperial palace; the church of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033) at Blachernae; and the church of *Sophia (Holy Wisdom, S00705), all visited by the papal legates for the council of 680-681, who are said to have been accompanied by *Peter (the Apostle, 00036).
E01665
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)
Liber Pontificalis
Liber Pontificalis 81
Pope Agatho's envoys are sent to the Third Council of Constantinople (AD 680-681):
Qui supra scripti missi sedis apostolicae qui directi fuerant in regia urbe ingredientes die X mensis novembris indictione VIIII, Domino solaciante atque principe apostolorum comitante suscepti sunt a principe in oraculo beati Petri apostoli, intro palatio, porrigentes ei et scripta pontificis.
'The apostolic see’s envoys named above, who had been sent to the imperial city, entered it on the 10th day of November in the 9th indiction [AD 680]; the Lord comforted them and the prince of the apostles accompanied them. They were received by the emperor [Constantine IV] in the oratory of the blessed Peter the apostle in the palace and they presented him with the pontiff’s documents.'
.....
Die XVIII mensis suprascripti, die dominico, advocati sunt in processione ad sanctam Dei genetricem in Blachernas in tanta honorificentia, ut etiam de palatio caballos stratos dirigeret cum obsequio pietas imperialis et sic eos susciperet...
'On the 18th day of the same month, a Sunday, they were summoned in procession to the church of the holy Mother of God at Blachernae; to honour them the pious emperor even sent saddled horses with an escort from the palace...'
.....
Die XVII mens. febr., die dominico, intro oraculum beati Petri intro palatium, adstante synclitu simulque et patriarcha, leagtos sedis apostolicae suscepit, relegenssuggestionem aliam ro eorum commendationem a sanctissimo papa directam.
'On the 17th day of February, a Sunday, in the oratory of the blessed Peter inside the palace, with the senate and patriarch in attendance, he [Constantine IV] received the legates of the apostolic see, who read out another memorial sent by the holy pope to recommend them.'
.....
...tanta gratia divina omnipotentis concessa est missis sedis apostolicae, ut ad letitiam populi vel sancti concilii, qui in regia urbe erat, Iohannes episcopus Portuensis dominicorum die octava Paschae in ecclesia sanctae Sophiae publicas missas coram principe et patriarchas Latine celebraret...
'...so great was the grace of almighty God granted to the envoys of the apostolic see, that to the joy of the people and of the holy council in the imperial city, on Sunday the Octave of Easter in the church of St Sophia, John bishop of Portus celebrated a public mass in Latin before the emperor and patriarchs.'
Text: Duchesne 1886, 351-354. Translation: Davis 2010, 72-75, lightly modified.
Eucharist associated with cult
Procession
Cult PlacesCult building - independent (church)
Cult building - dependent (chapel, baptistery, etc.)
Non Liturgical ActivitySaint as patron - of a community
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Monarchs and their family
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).
Robert Wiśniewski
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00033 | Mary, Mother of Christ | Genetrix Dei | Certain | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus; princeps apostolorum | Certain | S00705 | Sophia, personified Holy Wisdom | Sophia | Certain | S00872 | Agatho, bishop of Rome, ob. 682 | Agatho | Certain |
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