Pope Sisinnius (c. 6504 February 708) was the

bishop of Rome A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

from 15 January 708 to his death. Sisinnius was born in Tyre (modern-day

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), and his father's name was John. The paucity of donations to the papacy during his reign (42 pounds of gold and 310 pounds of silver, a fraction of the personal donations of other contemporary pontiffs) indicate that he was probably not from the aristocracy. Sisinnius was selected as pope during the period of Byzantine domination, succeeding John VII after a vacancy of three months.Ekonomou, 2007, p. 246. He was consecrated around 15 January 708. His pontificate lasted just twenty days. According to the ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'', "although he was so afflicted with

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that he was unable even to feed himself, he is nevertheless said to have been a man of strong character, and to have been able to take thought for the good of the city". Among his few acts as pope was the consecration of a bishop for Corsica. He also ordered "that lime be burned in order to restore portions" of the

walls of Rome Defensive walls are a feature of ancient Roman architecture. The Romans generally fortified cities, rather than building stand-alone fortresses, but there are some fortified camps, such as the Saxon Shore forts like Porchester Castle in England ...

. The restoration of the walls planned by Sisinnius was eventually carried out by Gregory II. Sisinnius was buried in

Old St. Peter's Basilica Old St. Peter's Basilica was the building that stood, from the 4th to 16th centuries, where the new St. Peter's Basilica stands today in Vatican City. Construction of the basilica, built over the historical site of the Circus of Nero, began dur ...

. He was succeeded less than two months later by

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, who some historians believe was his brother.Williams, George L. 2004. ''Papal Genealogy: The Families and Descendants of the Popes''. McFarland. . p. 10.

Notes

References

* Ekonomou, Andrew J. 2007. ''Byzantine Rome and the Greek Popes: Eastern influences on Rome and the papacy from Gregory the Great to Zacharias, A.D. 590–752''. Lexington Books. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sisinnius 7th-century births 708 deaths Popes Asian popes Syrian popes Popes of the Byzantine Papacy 8th-century archbishops 8th-century popes 7th-century people Burials at St. Peter's Basilica