John I

Who they were

John, born in Tuscany, became Pope in 523, soon after the schism between Rome and Constantinople over the Henoticon had been healed. In Italy the Arian Ostrogoth king Theodoric ruled, and he sent the Pope to Constantinople to obtain the repeal of the emperor's edict against converts returning to Arianism.

John was received in Constantinople with the highest honours and celebrated Christmas and Easter there, but won only some of the concessions Theodoric demanded. Back in Italy the furious king had him imprisoned at Ravenna, where he died soon after, in 526. His relics were later brought to St Peter's.

The miracles

There was never a formal cause: John has been honoured as a martyr of the faith since his death in prison.

Why that counted as sanctity

John would not sell out the Catholic faith for a king's favour, and died in the king's prison for it.

Connected on this site

• Dionysius Exiguus Saint
  “Pope John I played a pivotal role in standardizing how the Western Church calculated the date of Easter, with the help of the monk Dionysius Exiguus, in 525.” — Wikipedia