Saint Agatho
Saint Agatho (also known as Pope Agatho or Agatho of Rome; born c. 577; died January 10, 681 AD) was the seventy-ninth Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from June 27, 678 AD until his death on January 10, 681 AD. He is celebrated as one of the great popes of the seventh century for his central role in the condemnation of the heresy of Monothelitism at the Third Council of Constantinople (680–681 AD) — the Sixth Ecumenical Council — which definitively affirmed the Catholic doctrine that Christ has two wills, human and divine. His feast day is January 10.
Pope Agatho was probably of Greek origin, possibly from Sicily (which had a large Greek population). He was noted for his exceptional personal holiness, his charity to pilgrims and the poor, and his administrative ability. He convened the Lateran Council of 680 to prepare the Church's theological response to Monothelitism — the heresy that Christ had only one will — and sent legates to Constantinople who presented the dogmatic letter known as the Epistola dogmatica Agathonis (also called Agatho's Tome). This letter, read aloud at the Third Council of Constantinople, was accepted by the Council as the definitive statement of orthodox Christology on the question of Christ's two wills and operations. The Council condemned Monothelitism, rehabilitated earlier condemned popes (though also condemning Pope Honorius I for his ambiguous letter), and reaffirmed the full Catholic faith in the complete humanity and divinity of Christ. Agatho died shortly before the Council issued its final decrees, but his theological legacy was decisive in resolving the Monothelite controversy.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Agatho
| Saint Agatho | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | January 10 |
| Profession | Pope; Bishop of Rome; theologian |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church |
| Patronage | Sicilians; those with mental illness (popular tradition) |
| Attributes | Papal vestments; tiara; book (the ''Epistola Dogmatica'') |
| Birthplace | Palermo, Sicily (possibly), or Greece |
| Death Place | Rome, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; confessor pope |
| Primary Shrine | St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City |
| Liturgical Class | Not included in the General Roman Calendar |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth
Pope Agatho was born around 577 AD, probably in Sicily (which had a large Greek-speaking population) or possibly in Greece. The Liber Pontificalis (Book of the Popes) describes him as a Greek.
Early Life
Agatho entered the Benedictine Order and was associated with the Benedictine community of Saint Hermes in Rome. He served in the Roman Curia and gained a reputation for extraordinary sanctity and administrative ability during many years of service to the Roman Church.
Occupation
Agatho was elected Pope on June 27, 678 AD. His pontificate of less than three years was dominated by the great theological crisis of Monothelitism — the heresy, supported by some Eastern emperors, that Christ had only one will (thelema) and one operation (energeia) — a position that was seen by the Church as undermining the full humanity of Christ.
Agatho convened the Lateran Council of 680 to prepare the orthodox theological response. He composed the magnificent Epistola Dogmatica Agathonis — a letter to the Emperor Constantine IV that contained a full, lucid, and authoritative statement of the orthodox doctrine of Christ's two wills and two operations, grounded in tradition from the Fathers of the Church. This letter was sent to Constantinople with papal legates, who presented it to the Third Council of Constantinople (the Sixth Ecumenical Council, 680–681 AD).
The Council accepted Agatho's letter as the definitive statement of orthodoxy on the disputed questions. It condemned Monothelitism and its leading proponents — including, controversially, Pope Honorius I (625–638 AD), who had written an ambiguous letter to the Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople that had been exploited by the Monothelites. The condemnation of Honorius has been a subject of theological discussion ever since.
Agatho was also notable for:
- Receiving Saint Wilfrid of York in Rome and restoring him to his see (after a dispute with Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury).
- Receiving the English delegation sent by the Synod of Hertford (673 AD), which led to closer ties between the English Church and Rome.
- Abolishing an annual tax (the superindiction) that had been paid to Constantinople.
- His personal holiness, charity, and care for pilgrims and the poor — for which the Liber Pontificalis praises him warmly.
Vocation
Pope Agatho's vocation was that of a pastor-theologian of extraordinary gifts, whose brief pontificate produced one of the most significant dogmatic documents in the history of the papacy and the ecumenical councils. The Epistola Dogmatica Agathonis is regarded as one of the finest doctrinal letters in papal history — comparable in its precision and authority to the Tome of Leo I (which settled the Nestorian and Eutychian controversies).
Death
Saint Agatho died on January 10, 681 AD, in Rome — before the Third Council of Constantinople had issued its final decrees. He was buried in St. Peter's Basilica. The Council, when it concluded, honored his memory and accepted his theological legacy.
Significant events
- Born c. 577 AD, probably in Sicily; Greek by origin.
- Entered the Benedictine Order; served the Roman Curia for many years.
- Elected Pope June 27, 678 AD.
- Composed the Epistola Dogmatica Agathonis — a definitive statement of the orthodox doctrine of Christ's two wills.
- Convened the Lateran Council of 680 to prepare Rome's theological response to Monothelitism.
- Sent legates to the Third Council of Constantinople (680–681 AD), the Sixth Ecumenical Council.
- The Council condemned Monothelitism and accepted Agatho's letter as orthodox.
- Received Saint Wilfrid of York and restored him to his see.
- Noted for personal holiness, charity to pilgrims and the poor.
- Died January 10, 681 AD, before the final decrees of the Council; feast day January 10.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Palermo, Sicily (possibly), or Greece
Death location: Rome, Italy
Notable location: His see as Bishop of Rome and Pope (678–681 AD) (Rome, Italy (Vatican))
Notable location: Site of the Third Council of Constantinople (680–681), which he convened through his legates (Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey)
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Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Saint Agatho have been added to the database yet.
Media
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
List of shrines
- St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City — his burial place.
Canonization
Servant of God
Recognized by ancient tradition as a pope-confessor.
Venerable
Not applicable.
Beatification
Not applicable.
Canonization
Recognized through ancient tradition; included in the Roman Martyrology for January 10.
Miracles
No specific miracles attributed to Pope Agatho have been formally documented.
Miracle for beatification
Not applicable.
Miracle for canonization
Not applicable.
Patronage
Pope Agatho is a patron of Sicily and is invoked in popular tradition for those with mental illness.
Feast day
January 10
Veneration
Saint Agatho is venerated in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions as a confessor pope whose dogmatic letter to the Third Council of Constantinople definitively settled the Monothelite controversy in favor of the orthodox faith in Christ's two wills and two operations.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
Books
Written about the saint
- Mann, Horace K. The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, vol. I. London: Kegan Paul, 1902.
Written by the saint
- Agatho, Pope. Epistola Dogmatica ad Imperatorem Constantinum. In Patrologia Latina, vol. 87, cols. 1161–1238. Paris: Migne, 1863.
External links
References
- Liber Pontificalis (Book of the Popes). Translated by Louise Ropes Loomis. New York: Columbia University Press, 1916.
- Caspar, Erich. Geschichte des Papsttums, vol. II. Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr, 1933.
- Roman Martyrology (Martyrologium Romanum). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004.