Record | The Cult of Saints

The decrees of a synod held by Pope Gregory the Great in 595 in St Peter’s basilica, Rome, are subscribed by presbyters from many of the city's titular churches, all dedicated to saints (Register 5.57a). Written in Latin in Rome.

Evidence ID

E06362

Type of Evidence

Literary - Letters

Major author/Major anonymous work

Gregory the Great (pope)

Pope Gregory the Great, Register of Letters 5.57a

The decrees are subscribed first by a long list of bishops, and then by presbyters from the titular churches of Rome, each identified by his church. In the translation below, the saint's name of each titulus church is written in bold the first time, and only the first time, it appears in the subscription.

SUBSCRIPTIONES PRESBYTERORUM. Laurentius presbyter tituli sancti Silvestri. Iohannes presbyter tituli sancti Vitalis. Speciosus presbyter tituli sancti Clementis. Deusdedit presbyter tituli sanctae Praxedis. Deusdedit presbyter tituli sanctorum Iohannis et Pauli. Andromacus presbyter tituli sanctorum Apostolorum. Crescens presbyter tituli sancti Laurentii. Rusticus presbyter tituli sanctae Susannae. Vibolus presbyter tituli sancti Marcelli. Petrus presbyter tituli sancti Iulii et Calisti. Expectatus presbyter tituli sancti Vitalis. Stephanus presbyter tituli sancti Marci. Felix presbyter tituli sancti Sixti. Petrus presbyter tituli sanctae Balbinae. Iustus presbyter tituli sanctorum Nerei et Achillei. Speciosus presbyter tituli sancti Damasi. Maurus presbyter tituli sanctae Priscae. Placitus presbyter tituli sanctae Savinae. Victor presbyter tituli sanctae Caeciliae. Iohannes presbyter tituli sancti Chrysogoni. Aventius presbyter tituli sanctae Praxedis. Andreas presbyter tituli sancti Marcelli. Iohannes presbyter tituli sanctorum Iohannis et Pauli. Agapitus presbyter tituli Apostolorum. Felix presbyter tituli sanctae Savinae. Donus presbyter tituli sancti Eusebii. Bassus presbyter tituli sancti Pudentis. Iohannes presbyter tituli sancti Silvestri. Albinus presbyter tituli sanctorum Marcellini et Petri. Antoninus presbyter tituli sanctae Balbinae. Candidus presbyter tituli sancti Clementis. Romanus presbyter tituli sancti Marcelli. Leo presbyter tituli sancti Damasi. Aventinus presbyter tituli sancti Quiriaci. Fortunatus presbyter tituli sanctorum quattuor Coronatorum.

‘The signatures of the presbyters.
Laurentius, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Sylvester; Iohannes, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Vitalis; Speciosus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Clemens; Deusdedit, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Praxedis; Deusdedit, presbyter of the titulus of Saints Iohannes and Paulus; Andromachus, presbyter of the titulus of the Holy Apostles; Crescens, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Laurence; Rusticus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Susanna; Viboplus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Marcellus; Petrus, presbyter of the titulus of Saints Iulius and Calistus; Expectatus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Vitalis; Stephanus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Marcus; Felix, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Sixtus; Petrus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Balbina; Iustus, presbyter of the titulus of Saints Nereus and Achilleus; Speciosus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Damasus; Maurus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Prisca; Placidus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Sabina; Victor, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Caecilia; Iohannes, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Chrysogonus; Aventius, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Praxedis; Andreas, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Marcellus; Iohannes, presbyter of the titulus of Saints Iohannes and Paulus; Agapitus, presbyter of the titulus of the Apostles; Felix, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Sabina; Donus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Eusebius; Bassus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Pudens; Iohannes, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Sylvester; Albinus, presbyter of the titulus of Saints Marcellinus and Petrus; Antoninus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Balbina; Candidus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Clement; Romanus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Marcellus; Leo, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Damasus; Aventinus, presbyter of the titulus of Saint Quiriacus; Fortunatus, presbyter of the titulus of the Four Crowned Martyrs.'

Text: Ewald and Hartmann, vol. I, 366-7.
Translation: Frances Trzeciak.

Cult Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Places Named after Saint

Church

Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - lesser clergy

Source

The decrees of this synod, dated to 5 July 595, are preserved as text added to some of the manuscripts of Gregory's Register.

Discussion

Some of these dedications replaced older names of the tituli, most of which were probably originally named after their founders (for a list of tituli in AD 499, most still bearing their original names: E02744).

The churches of our 595 list all still exist (although not necessarily in their original buildings). They are currently known as San Silvestro, San Vitale, Santa Prassede, Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Santi Apostoli, San Lorenzo in Lucina, Santa Susanna, San Marcello al Corso, Santa Maria in Trastevere (which is probably the titulus sancti Iulii et Calisti), San Marco al Campidoglio, San Sisto Vecchio, Santa Balbina, Santi Nereo e Achilleo, San Lorenzo in Damaso, Santa Sabina, Santa Cecilia, San Crisogono, Sant'Eusebio, Santa Pudenziana, Santi Marcellino e Pietro, San Quirico, and Santi Quattro Coronati.

Bibliography

Edition:
Ewald, P. and L.M. Hartmann (eds), Gregorii I papae Registrum epistolarum, 2 vols. (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Epistolae I and II, Berlin 1891 and 1899).

English translation:
Martyn, J.R.C., The Letters of Gregory the Great, 3 vols. (Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 2004).

Further Reading:
Neil, B., and Dal Santo, M. (eds.), A Companion to Gregory the Great (Leiden: Brill, 2013).

Record Created By

Frances Trzeciak

Date of Entry

20/10/2018

Related Saint Records

ID	Name	Name in Source	Identity
S00037	Laurence/Laurentius, deacon and martyr of Rome	Laurentius	Certain
S00084	Apostles, unnamed or name lost	Apostoli	Certain
S00111	Clemens/Clement, bishop of Rome, martyr of the Crimea	Clemens	Certain
S00142	Praxedes, virgin and martyr of Rome	Praxedis	Certain
S00145	Callixtus, bishop and martyr of Rome	Calistus/Calestus/Caelestus	Certain
S00146	Caecilia, virgin and martyr of Rome	Caecilia	Certain
S00201	Xystus/Sixtus II, bishop and martyr of Rome	Sixtus	Certain
S00384	Iohannes and Paulus, brothers and eunuchs, martyrs of Rome under the emperor Julian	Iohannes, Paulus	Certain
S00397	Silvester, bishop of Rome, ob. 336	Silvester	Certain
S00403	Nereus and Achilleus, eunuchs and martyrs of Rome, and companions	Nereus et Achilleus	Certain
S00420	Marcus, bishop of Rome, ob. 336	Marcus	Certain
S00529	Marcellus, bishop and martyr of Rome	Marcellus	Certain
S00531	Prisca, martyr of Rome, buried on the via Salaria	Prisca	Certain
S00535	Damasus, bishop of Rome, ob. 384	Damasus	Certain
S00543	Iulius, bishop of Rome, ob. 352	Iulius	Certain
S00577	Marcellinus and Petrus, priest and exorcist, martyrs of Rome, buried on the via Labicana	Marcellinus, Petrus	Certain
S00591	Pudentiana, virgin and martyr of Rome	Pudens	Certain
S00678	Cyriacus, Smaragdus, Largus and their companions, martyrs of Rome	Quiriacus	Uncertain
S00892	Susanna, virgin and martyr of Rome	Susanna	Certain
S00911	Chrysogonus, martyr of Aquileia, venerated in Rome	Chrysogonus	Certain
S01472	Eusebius, Pontianus, Vincentius, Peregrinus, and Companions, martyrs of Rome	Eusebius	Certain
S01546	Sabina, martyr of Rome, with church on the Aventine hill	Sabina	Certain
S01849	Balbina, virgin and martyr of Rome	Balibina	Certain
S02826	Vitalis, martyr of Ravenna	Vitalis	Certain

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Frances Trzeciak, Cult of Saints, E06362 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E06362

The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world