Christophorus (antipope)

Christophorus , who came from Rome, was a cardinal priest of St. Damasus before his pontificate . In September 903 he led a revolt against Pope Leo V , had him thrown in prison and subsequently elected and ordained Pope.

Four months later, he suffered the same fate as Leo. Sergius , Bishop of Cerveteri, had already tried to become Pope in 897/898. In January 904 he was elected, seized power and brought Christophorus to the same prison in which Leo V was also sitting.

There is uncertainty about the further fate of Christophorus. After Hermann von Reichenau , he became a monk after his fall. Eugenius Vulgarius, on the other hand, reports on the murder by Sergius III, who allegedly had the other two pretenders executed because he could not watch them starve in prison.

Various sources refer to Christophorus as both a legitimate Pope and an antipope . A precise clarification of the legitimacy of his pontificate is not yet possible.

literature

• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  Christophorus. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 1, Bautz, Hamm 1975. 2nd, unchanged edition Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-013-1 , Sp. 1112.