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Gelasius II
Pope from 1118 to 1119
SaintResearchedBenedictinesPre-congregation
Feast: 29 January (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
1060
Died
29 January 1119
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
John of Gaeta, a monk of Monte Cassino and long the papal chancellor, shared Pope Paschal II's captivity. He was elected pope on 24 January 1118 against the emperor's wishes and was attacked by the imperial party.
He excommunicated the emperor and the antipope set up against him, was forced to flee, and died at Cluny on 29 January 1119 after a reign of a year and five days.
The miracles
The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that his canonisation was discussed in the time of Benedict XIV but never taken up.
Why that counted as sanctity
A monk-pope who suffered for the freedom of the Church.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Pope Gelasius II
- Wikidata Q180882 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Pope Gelasius II (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.