Roman Catholic Pope. Born in Rome, he was said to be the son of Pontianus, and was mentioned by the historian Eusebius in his church history. He was named in an inscription in the Coemeterium Callisti, but little else is known of his life and works; no contemporary accounts of Urban's pontificate exist. He succeeded the pontificate of St. Calixtus I, and his reign coincided with the reign of the Roman emperor Severus Alexander, who supported the early church, so it was a time of relative peace for the see. According to the 'Liber Pontificalis,' Urban was elected Bishop of Rome in AD 222 and served for eight years. It further stated that he was an effective orator who converted many with his sermons. Modern scholarship regards existing tales surrounding Urban to be largely apocryphal. It is accepted that his was a natural death. The 'Liber Pontificalis' recorded that Urban was buried in the Catacomb of Praetextatus on the Via Appia, however, in the catacomb of St. Callistus, archaeologists found a fragment of a sarcophagus that bore an inscription indicating Urban's burial there. It is now generally accepted that Pope Urban was buried in St. Callistus while a saint of the same name, a bishop of another see who died in Rome, was buried in St. Praetextatus. His feast day is May 25.
Roman Catholic Pope. Born in Rome, he was said to be the son of Pontianus, and was mentioned by the historian Eusebius in his church history. He was named in an inscription in the Coemeterium Callisti, but little else is known of his life and works; no contemporary accounts of Urban's pontificate exist. He succeeded the pontificate of St. Calixtus I, and his reign coincided with the reign of the Roman emperor Severus Alexander, who supported the early church, so it was a time of relative peace for the see. According to the 'Liber Pontificalis,' Urban was elected Bishop of Rome in AD 222 and served for eight years. It further stated that he was an effective orator who converted many with his sermons. Modern scholarship regards existing tales surrounding Urban to be largely apocryphal. It is accepted that his was a natural death. The 'Liber Pontificalis' recorded that Urban was buried in the Catacomb of Praetextatus on the Via Appia, however, in the catacomb of St. Callistus, archaeologists found a fragment of a sarcophagus that bore an inscription indicating Urban's burial there. It is now generally accepted that Pope Urban was buried in St. Callistus while a saint of the same name, a bishop of another see who died in Rome, was buried in St. Praetextatus. His feast day is May 25.
Bio by: Iola
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