Pope Alexander I

For the Roman martyr, see Alexander of Rome.

Head of the Catholic Church from c. 107 to c. 115

Pope Saint

Alexander I

Bishop of Rome

8th-century fresco of Pope Alexander I from Santa Maria Antiqua

Church| Catholic Church
Papacy began| c. 109
Papacy ended| c. 119
Predecessor| Evaristus
Successor| Sixtus I
Personal details
Born|

Rome, Italia, Roman Empire

Died| c. 119
Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
Sainthood
Feast day|

* 16 March (Greek Christianity)
* 3 May (Tridentine calendar)

Venerated in|

* Eastern Orthodox Church
* Roman Catholic Church

Other popes named Alexander

Pope Alexander I (Greek: Αλέξανδρος, died c. 115) was the bishop of Rome from about 108/109 to 116/119 (according to the 2012 Annuario Pontificio). Some believe he suffered martyrdom under the Roman emperor Trajan or Hadrian.

## Life and legend

[edit]

According to the Liber Pontificalis, it was Alexander I who inserted the narration of the Last Supper (the Qui pridie) into the liturgy of the Mass. However, the article on Saint Alexander I in the 1907 Catholic Encyclopedia, written by Thomas Shahan, judges this tradition to be inaccurate, a view shared by Roman Catholic and non-Roman Catholic experts alike.[1] It is viewed as a product of the agenda of Liber Pontificalis—this section of the book was probably written in the late 5th century—to show an ancient pattern of the earliest bishops of Rome ruling the church by papal decree. The chronology of his pontificate is disputed, but he probably assumed office around 108/109 AD and died around 118/119 AD, after a tenure of 10 years.[2][3][4]

The introduction of the customs of using blessed water mixed with salt for the purification of Christian homes from evil influences, as well as that of mixing water with the sacramental wine, are attributed to Pope Alexander I. Some sources consider these attributions unlikely.[5] It is certainly possible, however, that Alexander played an important part in the early development of the Church of Rome's emerging liturgical and administrative traditions.

A later tradition holds that in the reign of the emperor Hadrian, Alexander I converted the Roman governor Hermes by miraculous means, together with his entire household of 1,500 people. Quirinus of Neuss, who was Alexander's supposed jailer, and Quirinus' daughter Balbina of Rome were also among his converts.[6]

Alexander is said to have seen a vision of the infant Jesus.[7] His remains are said to have been transferred to Freising in Bavaria, Germany in AD 834.[1]

## Supposed identification with a martyr

[edit]

Some editions of the Roman Missal identified Pope Alexander I with the Alexander that they give as commemorated, together with Eventius and Theodulus (who were supposed to be priests of his), on 3 May. See, for instance, the General Roman Calendar of 1954. But nothing is known of these three saints other than their names, together with the fact that they were martyred and were buried at the seventh milestone of the Via Nomentana on 3 May of some year.[8] For this reason, the Pope John XXIII's 1960 revision of the calendar returned to the presentation that was in the 1570 Tridentine calendar of the three saints as simply "Saints Alexander, Eventius and Theodulus Martyrs" with no suggestion that any of them was a pope. The Roman Martyrology lists them as Eventius, Alexander and Theodulus, the order in which their names are given in historical documents.[9]

## See also

[edit]

* Biography portal
* Christianity portal
* History portal

* List of Catholic saints
* List of popes

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Pope St. Alexander I". Catholic Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 26 February 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2005.
2. ^ Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History IV, 1. "About the twelfth year of the reign of Trajan... At that time also Alexander, the fifth in the line of succession from Peter and Paul, received the episcopate at Rome." IV, 4. "In the third year of the same reign [Hadrian], Alexander, bishop of Rome, died after holding office ten years". The Caesarean calendar bean in 3 October, see Burgess, Richard W. (1999). Studies in Eusebian and Post-Eusebian Chronography. Franz Steiner Verlag. p. 29\. ISBN 978-3-515-07530-5.
3. ^ Jerome, Chronicon, AD 108, 11th year of Trajan. "Alexander holds the fifth episcopate of the city of Rome for ten years." This may be a mistake, as the accession of Sixtus is dated to the 3rd year of Hadrian, AD 119.
4. ^ Liberian Catalogue; "11 years, 2 months, 1 day. He was in the time of Trajan, from the consulate of Palma and Tullus [109] to that of Velianus and Vetus [116]." The catalogue is full of errors and contradictions; the years given do not even match the length given in the same entry.
5. ^ "Saint Alexander I". Encyclopædia Britannica.
6. ^ Borrelli, Antonio. "San Quirino su santiebeati.it". Santiebeati.it.
7. ^ Visions of Jesus: Direct Encounters from the New Testament to Today By Phillip H. Wiebe. Oxford University Press. p. 20.
8. ^ Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1969), p. 122
9. ^ Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2004), p. 268

## Further reading

[edit]

* Benedict XIV. The Roman Martyrology. Gardners Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0-548-13374-3.
* Chapman, John. Studies on the Early Papacy. Port Washington, New York: Kennikat Press, 1971. ISBN 978-1-901157-60-4.
* Fortescue, Adrian, and Scott M. P. Reid. The Early Papacy: To the Synod of Chalcedon in 451. Southampton: Saint Austin Press, 1997. ISBN 978-1-901157-60-4.
* Jowett, George F. The Drama of the Lost Disciples. London: Covenant Pub. Co, 1968. OCLC 7181392
* Loomis, Louise Ropes. The Book of Popes (Liber Pontificalis). Merchantville, New Jersey: Evolution Publishing. ISBN 1-889758-86-8
* Encyclopædia Britannica: "Saint Alexander I"

Catholic Church titles

Preceded by

Evaristus

|  Bishop of Rome
Pope
106–115  | Succeeded by

Sixtus I

* v
* t
* e

Popes of the Catholic Church

* List of popes
* graphical
* canonised
* Papal names
* Tombs
* extant
* non-extant
* Antipope
* Pope emeritus
* papal resignation
* Pope-elect
* Apocryphal Pope Donus II

1st–4th centuries|

* Peter
* Linus
* Anacletus
* Clement I
* Evaristus
* Alexander I
* Sixtus I
* Telesphorus
* Hyginus
* Pius I
* Anicetus
* Soter
* Eleutherius
* Victor I
* Zephyrinus
* Callixtus I
* Urban I
* Pontian
* Anterus
* Fabian
* Cornelius
* Lucius I
* Stephen I
* Sixtus II
* Dionysius
* Felix I
* Eutychian
* Caius
* Marcellinus
* Marcellus I
* Eusebius
* Miltiades
* Sylvester I
* Mark
* Julius I
* Liberius
* Damasus I
* Siricius
* Anastasius I

5th–8th centuries|

* Innocent I
* Zosimus
* Boniface I
* Celestine I
* Sixtus III
* Leo I
* Hilarius
* Simplicius
* Felix III
* Gelasius I
* Anastasius II
* Symmachus
* Hormisdas
* John I
* Felix IV
* Boniface II
* John II
* Agapetus I
* Silverius
* Vigilius
* Pelagius I
* John III
* Benedict I
* Pelagius II
* Gregory I
* Sabinian
* Boniface III
* Boniface IV
* Adeodatus I
* Boniface V
* Honorius I
* Severinus
* John IV
* Theodore I
* Martin I
* Eugene I
* Vitalian
* Adeodatus II
* Donus
* Agatho
* Leo II
* Benedict II
* John V
* Conon
* Sergius I
* John VI
* John VII
* Sisinnius
* Constantine
* Gregory II
* Gregory III
* Zachary
* Stephen II
* Paul I
* Stephen III
* Adrian I
* Leo III

9th–12th centuries|

* Stephen IV
* Paschal I
* Eugene II
* Valentine
* Gregory IV
* Sergius II
* Leo IV
* Benedict III
* Nicholas I
* Adrian II
* John VIII
* Marinus I
* Adrian III
* Stephen V
* Formosus
* Boniface VI
* Stephen VI
* Romanus
* Theodore II
* John IX
* Benedict IV
* Leo V
* Sergius III
* Anastasius III
* Lando
* John X
* Leo VI
* Stephen VII
* John XI
* Leo VII
* Stephen VIII
* Marinus II
* Agapetus II
* John XII
* Benedict V
* Leo VIII
* John XIII
* Benedict VI
* Benedict VII
* John XIV
* John XV
* Gregory V
* Sylvester II
* John XVII
* John XVIII
* Sergius IV
* Benedict VIII
* John XIX
* Benedict IX
* Sylvester III
* Gregory VI
* Clement II
* Damasus II
* Leo IX
* Victor II
* Stephen IX
* Nicholas II
* Alexander II
* Gregory VII
* Victor III
* Urban II
* Paschal II
* Gelasius II
* Callixtus II
* Honorius II
* Innocent II
* Celestine II
* Lucius II
* Eugene III
* Anastasius IV
* Adrian IV
* Alexander III
* Lucius III
* Urban III
* Gregory VIII
* Clement III
* Celestine III
* Innocent III

13th–16th centuries|

* Honorius III
* Gregory IX
* Celestine IV
* Innocent IV
* Alexander IV
* Urban IV
* Clement IV
* Gregory X
* Innocent V
* Adrian V
* John XXI
* Nicholas III
* Martin IV
* Honorius IV
* Nicholas IV
* Celestine V
* Boniface VIII
* Benedict XI
* Clement V
* John XXII
* Benedict XII
* Clement VI
* Innocent VI
* Urban V
* Gregory XI
* Urban VI
* Boniface IX
* Innocent VII
* Gregory XII
* Martin V
* Eugene IV
* Nicholas V
* Callixtus III
* Pius II
* Paul II
* Sixtus IV
* Innocent VIII
* Alexander VI
* Pius III
* Julius II
* Leo X
* Adrian VI
* Clement VII
* Paul III
* Julius III
* Marcellus II
* Paul IV
* Pius IV
* Pius V
* Gregory XIII
* Sixtus V
* Urban VII
* Gregory XIV
* Innocent IX
* Clement VIII

17th–21st centuries|

* Leo XI
* Paul V
* Gregory XV
* Urban VIII
* Innocent X
* Alexander VII
* Clement IX
* Clement X
* Innocent XI
* Alexander VIII
* Innocent XII
* Clement XI
* Innocent XIII
* Benedict XIII
* Clement XII
* Benedict XIV
* Clement XIII
* Clement XIV
* Pius VI
* Pius VII
* Leo XII
* Pius VIII
* Gregory XVI
* Pius IX
* Leo XIII
* Pius X
* Benedict XV
* Pius XI
* Pius XII
* John XXIII
* Paul VI
* John Paul I
* John Paul II
* Benedict XVI
* Francis
* Leo XIV

History of the papacy|

| Antiquity and Early
Middle Ages|

* During the Roman Empire (until 493)
* Under Constantine (312–337)
* Ostrogothic Papacy (493–537)
* Byzantine Papacy (537–752)
* Frankish Papacy (756–857)
* Saeculum obscurum (904–964)
* Crescentii era (974–1012)

|

High and Late
Middle Ages|

* Tusculan Papacy (1012–1044 / 1048)
* Conflicts with the HRE (1048–1257)
* Wandering Papacy
* Viterbo, 1257–1281
* Orvieto, 1262–1297
* Perugia, 1228–1304
* Avignon Papacy (1309–1378)
* Western Schism (1378–1417)

Early Modern and
Modern Era|

* Renaissance Papacy (1417–1534)
* Reformation Papacy (1534–1585)
* Baroque Papacy (1585–1689)
* Age of Enlightenment (c. 1640–1740)
* Revolutionary Papacy (1775–1848)
* Roman question (1870–1929)
* Vatican City (1929–present)
* World War II (1939–1945)
* Cold War (1945–1991)

* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

Saints of the Catholic Church

Dicastery for the Causes of Saints
Stages of canonization: Servant of God →  Venerable →  Blessed →  Saint

Virgin Mary|

* Mother of God (Theotokos)
* Immaculate Conception
* Perpetual virginity
* Assumption
* Marian apparition
* Titles of Mary
* Joseph (husband)

Apostles|

* Andrew
* Barnabas
* Bartholomew
* James of Alphaeus
* James the Great
* John
* Jude
* Matthew
* Matthias
* Paul
* Peter
* Philip
* Simon
* Thomas

Archangels|

* Gabriel
* Michael in the Catholic Church
* Raphael

Confessors|

* Anatolius
* Anthony of Kiev
* Athanasius the Confessor
* Chariton the Confessor
* Dominic
* Edward the Confessor
* Francis of Assisi
* Francis Borgia
* Homobonus
* John Henry Newman
* Lazarus Zographos
* Louis Bertrand
* Martin de Porres
* Martin of Tours
* Maximus the Confessor
* Michael of Synnada
* Paphnutius the Confessor
* Paul I of Constantinople
* Peter Claver
* Salonius
* Sergius of Radonezh
* Theophanes the Confessor
* Pio of Pietrelcina

Disciples|

* Apollos
* Mary of Bethany
* Mary Magdalene
* Priscilla and Aquila
* Silvanus
* Stephen
* Timothy
* Titus
* Seventy disciples

Doctors of the Church|

* Gregory the Great
* Ambrose
* Augustine of Hippo
* Jerome
* John Chrysostom
* Basil of Caesarea
* Gregory of Nazianzus
* Athanasius of Alexandria
* Cyril of Alexandria
* Cyril of Jerusalem
* John of Damascus
* Bede the Venerable
* Ephrem the Syrian
* Thomas Aquinas
* Bonaventure
* Anselm of Canterbury
* Isidore of Seville
* Peter Chrysologus
* Leo the Great
* Peter Damian
* Bernard of Clairvaux
* Hilary of Poitiers
* Alphonsus Liguori
* Francis de Sales
* Peter Canisius
* John of the Cross
* Robert Bellarmine
* Albertus Magnus
* Anthony of Padua
* Lawrence of Brindisi
* Teresa of Ávila
* Catherine of Siena
* Thérèse of Lisieux
* John of Ávila
* Hildegard of Bingen
* Gregory of Narek
* Irenaeus
* John Henry Newman

Evangelists|

* Matthew
* Mark
* Luke
* John

Church
Fathers|

* Alexander of Alexandria
* Alexander of Jerusalem
* Ambrose of Milan
* Anatolius
* Athanasius of Alexandria
* Augustine of Hippo
* Caesarius of Arles
* Caius
* Cappadocian Fathers
* Clement of Alexandria
* Clement of Rome
* Cyprian of Carthage
* Cyril of Alexandria
* Cyril of Jerusalem
* Damasus I
* Desert Fathers
* Desert Mothers
* Dionysius of Alexandria
* Dionysius of Corinth
* Dionysius
* Ephrem the Syrian
* Epiphanius of Salamis
* Fulgentius of Ruspe
* Gregory the Great
* Gregory of Nazianzus
* Gregory of Nyssa
* Hilary of Poitiers
* Hippolytus of Rome
* Ignatius of Antioch
* Irenaeus of Lyons
* Isidore of Seville
* Jerome of Stridonium
* John Chrysostom
* John of Damascus
* Maximus the Confessor
* Melito of Sardis
* Quadratus of Athens
* Papias of Hierapolis
* Peter Chrysologus
* Polycarp of Smyrna
* Theophilus of Antioch
* Victorinus of Pettau
* Vincent of Lérins
* Zephyrinus

Martyrs|

* Abda and Abdisho
* Boris and Gleb
* Charles de Foucauld
* Canadian Martyrs
* Carthusian Martyrs
* Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala
* Christina of Persia
* Dominguito del Val
* Devasahayam Pillai
* Dismas the Good Thief
* Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
* Four Crowned Martyrs
* Gerard of Csanád
* Great Martyr
* The Holy Innocents
* Irish Martyrs
* John Fisher
* Korean Martyrs
* Lorenzo Ruiz
* Martyrs of Lübeck
* Luigi Versiglia
* Martyrology
* Martyrs of Albania
* Martyrs of Algeria
* Martyrs of Cajonos
* Martyrs of Compiègne
* Martyrs of Drina
* Martyrs of China
* Martyrs of Gorkum
* Martyrs of Japan
* 21 Martyrs of Libya
* Martyrs of La Rioja
* Martyrs of Damascus
* Martyrs of Laos
* Martyrs of Natal
* Martyrs of Otranto
* Martyrs of Prague
* Martyrs of Sandomierz
* Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War
* Martyrs of Zenta
* Maximilian Kolbe
* Óscar Romero
* Pedro Calungsod
* Perpetua and Felicity
* Peter Chanel
* Pietro Parenzo
* Philomena
* Saints of the Cristero War
* Stephen
* Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
* Titus Brandsma
* 17 Thomasian Martyrs
* Thomas Becket
* Thomas More
* Three Martyrs of Chimbote
* Ulma Family
* Uganda Martyrs
* Vietnamese Martyrs
* Valentine of Rome
* Victor and Corona
* Zanitas and Lazarus of Persia

Missionaries|

* Ansgar
* Augustine of Canterbury
* Boniface
* Cyril and Methodius
* Damien of Molokai
* Evermode of Ratzeburg
* Francis Xavier
* François de Laval
* Gregory the Illuminator
* Junípero Serra
* Nino of Georgia
* Patrick of Ireland
* Remigius
* Sava of Serbia

Patriarchs|

* Adam
* Abel
* Abraham
* Isaac
* Jacob
* Joseph
* Joseph (father of Jesus)
* David
* Noah
* Solomon
* Matriarchs

Popes|

* Adeodatus I
* Adeodatus II
* Adrian III
* Agapetus I
* Agatho
* Alexander I
* Anacletus
* Anastasius I
* Anicetus
* Anterus
* Benedict II
* Boniface I
* Boniface IV
* Caius
* Callixtus I
* Celestine I
* Celestine V
* Clement I
* Cornelius
* Damasus I
* Dionysius
* Eleuterus
* Eugene I
* Eusebius
* Eutychian
* Evaristus
* Fabian
* Felix I
* Felix III
* Felix IV
* Gelasius I
* Gregory I
* Gregory II
* Gregory III
* Gregory VII
* Hilarius
* Hormisdas
* Hyginus
* Innocent I
* John I
* John XXIII
* John Paul II
* Julius I
* Leo I
* Leo II
* Leo III
* Leo IV
* Leo IX
* Linus
* Lucius I
* Marcellinus
* Marcellus I
* Mark
* Martin I
* Miltiades
* Nicholas I
* Paschal I
* Paul I
* Paul VI
* Peter
* Pius I
* Pius V
* Pius X
* Pontian
* Sergius I
* Silverius
* Simplicius
* Siricius
* Sixtus I
* Sixtus II
* Sixtus III
* Soter
* Stephen I
* Stephen IV
* Sylvester I
* Symmachus
* Telesphorus
* Urban I
* Victor I
* Vitalian
* Zachary
* Zephyrinus
* Zosimus

Prophets|

* Agabus
* Amos
* Anna
* Baruch ben Neriah
* David
* Elijah
* Ezekiel
* Habakkuk
* Haggai
* Hosea
* Isaiah
* Jeremiah
* Job
* Joel
* John the Baptist
* Jonah
* Judas Barsabbas
* Malachi
* Melchizedek
* Micah
* Moses
* Nahum
* Obadiah
* Samuel
* Seven Maccabees and their mother
* Simeon
* Zechariah (prophet)
* Zechariah (NT)
* Zephaniah

Virgins|

* Agatha of Sicily
* Agnes of Rome
* Angela of the Cross
* Æthelthryth
* Bernadette Soubirous
* Catherine of Bologna
* Brigid of Kildare
* Catherine Labouré
* Catherine of Siena
* Cecilia
* Clare of Assisi
* Eulalia of Mérida
* Euphemia
* Faustina Kowalska
* Faustina and Liberata of Como
* Genevieve
* Hiltrude of Liessies
* Joan of Arc
* Josephine Bakhita
* Kateri Tekakwitha
* Lucy of Syracuse
* Maria Goretti
* María de las Maravillas de Jesús
* Narcisa de Jesús
* Patricia of Naples
* Rosalia
* Rose of Lima
* Teresa of the Andes
* Teresa of Calcutta
* Trasilla and Emiliana
* Ubaldesca Taccini

See also|

* Calendar of saints
* Four Holy Marshals
* Fourteen Holy Helpers
* Martyr of charity
* Military saints
* Athleta Christi
* Miles Christianus
* Church Militant
* Seven Champions
* Venerated couples
* Virtuous pagan

* Catholic Church portal
* Saints portal

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* 2
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Italy
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Vatican
* Israel

People|

* Deutsche Biographie
* DDB

*[c.]: circa
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template