medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Hilarus, pope (d. 468). According to the _Liber Pontificalis_, Hilarus (also Hilarius; in English also Hilary) was a Sard. As a deacon at Rome he was one of pope St. Leo I's legates to the second council of Ephesus (the-called Robber Council) in 449. After that hostile assembly had condemned the papally supported St. Flavian of Constantinople, Hilarus realized that getting out of Ephesus safely would be difficult. While preparing his departure he vowed that, should he be able to leave unharmed, he would erect a chapel to Ephesus' great saint, John the Evangelist. He returned to Rome, where his merits secured him elevation to archdeacon by 455/56. In that year and the next Hilarus, assisted by Victorius of Limoges, worked at papal command on a new method of computing the date of Easter. The paschal cycle they produced was accepted in Italy and in Gaul but nowhere else.
Hilarus succeeded Leo as bishop of Rome in 461. During his pontificate he opposed the spread of Arianism in Italy, dealt with overreaching bishops in Gaul and Spain, and worked on restoring ecclesiastical properties in the Eternal City, then still recovering from the Vandal sack of Rome (455). His chief monuments are the chapels of St. John the Evangelist (fulfilling his vow of 449) and St. John the Baptist added during the reconstruction of the Lateran Baptistery. One of the images on this page (the one just above the Barberini bee) is a view of Hilarus' name inscribed on his bronze door to the chapel of St. John the Baptist:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-lateran-baptistery
Hilarus has moved about a bit in the Roman Martyrology. Since at least the latter's edition of 1962 he has been commemorated on 29. February or, in years that are not bissextile, on 28. February (his _dies natalis_).
Best,
John Dillon
(matter from an older post revised)
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: subscribe medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: unsubscribe medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/medieval-religion
|