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
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
), 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
gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intens ...
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
Constantine
Constantine most often refers to:
* Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I
*Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria
Constantine may also refer to:
People
* Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...
,
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