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  1700th Anniversary of the Edict of Milan 13th Century Frescoes Depicting Pope Sylvester I and the Emperor Constantine the Great Scott 1532-1535 (2013) December 31 is the Feast of Saint Pope Sylvester I. Though little is known about his life with certainty, he was pope during an important era in the history of the Western Church. He convened the Council of Arles in 314, the First Council of Nicaea in 325, and his pontificate also coincided with the events surrounding the growing influence of the Roman Emperor Constantine I and his impacts on the Christian Church. Born in 285, Sylvester became pope in 314 at age 29--quite young by papal standards. His origins, historian J. N. D. Kelly writes, “are hopelessly entangled with later legend.” Historically, Sylvester’s pontificate corresponds to the reign of Emperor Constantine I, the Great (306-337). Commentators often state that Sylvester seems to have played a rather insignificant role during the great events of his time, which included the years immediately following Constantine’s victory at Milvian Bridge (312), the issuance of the Edict of Milan (313, which gave legal status to Christianity and other religions), and the building of the great basilicas (St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s, Holy Cross in Jerusalem, St. Lawrence). Constantine presented Sylvester’s predecessor (Miltaides) with the Lateran Palace, which became the Basilica of St. John Lateran and served as the papal residence until the 14th century Avigonese papacy.  Portrait of Pope Sylvester I Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain Sylvester appears to have played no strong role at the Council of Arles (314), which dealt with Donatism (if the Church should forgive/welcome back priests who have sinned or taught heresy) as well as the appointment of bishops in Gaul. Sylvester sent two priests as representatives to the Council of Nicaea (325). His legates did not exercise a significant role, but Bishop Ossius of Cordoba served as “president” of the Council and is seen as a representative of Western, Latin Christianity. It is said Sylvester did not travel east due to old age, but the conclusions of Nicaea were communicated to Sylvester. The suggestion of a minor role may be somewhat explained by the dominating figure of the Emperor. A series of 13th-century frescoes, painted long after his death at the Roman Oratory of St. Sylvester (within the complex of the Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati in Rome), depicts Sylvester converting and baptizing Constantine. Neither of these events occurred, as Constantine was baptized on his deathbed in Asia Minor in 337, by which time Sylvester had died. Another fresco suggests that Constantine gave authority to Sylvester to govern Rome after he departed for Constantinople in ca. 324. These non-historical scenes were reproduced on Vatican City stamps in 2013 to mark the anniversary of the Edict of Milan in 313, presented at the top of this article. They also represent historical claims used to later advance papal authority.  Pope Sylvester I and Old St Peter’s Basilica Scott 161 (1953) However, a 1953 Roman Basilica stamp depicts Pope Sylvester I and a drawing of the interior of Old St. Peter’s Basilica, the construction of which began in around 318 and was completed in about 40 years. This is the only depiction of Old St. Peter’s on a Vatican City stamp, a structure that stood for 1,200 years until it was replaced by New St. Peter’s (whose construction began in 1506 and was completed in 1626). There are suggestions that Sylvester consecrated Old St. Peter’s, or at least a portion of it, during the early years of its construction. Sylvester died on 31 December 335, the date of his commemoration on the calendar of saints. He was buried in a church at the Catacombs of Priscilla but his relics were moved in 761 to the Church of St. Sylvester in Capite’ (meaning ‘first’ or ‘head’), the national church in Rome for England. The Church was built to accommodate many relics from various catacombs. REFERENCES |
