Pope Sylvester I
Sylvester I | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Rome | |
Depiction of Silvester I in Livre d'images de madame Marie (13th-century) | |
| Church | Early Church |
| Papacy began | 31 January 314 |
| Papacy ended | 31 December 335 |
| Predecessor | Miltiades |
| Successor | Mark |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Died | 31 December 335 |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | |
| Venerated in | |
| Attributes |
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| Patronage | |
| Other popes named Sylvester | |
Pope Sylvester I (also Silvester, before 284 – 31 December 335) was the bishop of Rome from 31 January 314 until his death on 31 December 335. He filled the See of Rome at an important era in the history of the Western Church, though very little is known of his life.
During his pontificate, he notably convened the Council of Arles in 314, which condemned the separatist Donatist sect, and the First Council of Nicaea in 325, which aimed to resolve the Arian controversy.
Sylvester I's pontificate coincided with the construction of churches including Old St. Peter's Basilica, the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem (Santa Croce in Gerusalemme), as well as the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. His feast is celebrated as Saint Sylvester's Day, on 31 December in Western Christianity, and on 2 January in Eastern Christianity.