Leo IV (Pope)

Leo IV - Detail of a fresco from the 9th century in the Basilica of San Clemente , Rome

Leo IV (* around 790; † July 17, 855 in Rome ) was a son of the Roman citizen Rodualdus and was Pope from April 10, 847 until his death . Before his election, he was subdeacon and cardinal priest of Santi Quattro Coronati .

During his pontificate he had to defend the city of Rome against attacks from the Orient . In 849, the papal troops won a decisive victory over the Saracens in the sea ​​battle of Ostia . Leo IV fortified the mouth of the Tiber and the area around St. Peter ( Leonine Wall ) west of the Tiber .

According to a legend that spread as early as the Middle Ages, Leo's successor is said to have been Popess Johanna . However, there is no historical evidence of their existence. The successor listed in the church annals is Benedict III. , whose existence is doubted by supporters of the legend.

Leo IV is one of the saints of the Catholic Church ; its patronage festival is celebrated on July 17th.

literature

• Klaus Herbers :  Leo IV. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 4, Bautz, Herzberg 1992, ISBN 3-88309-038-7 , Sp. 1438-1440.
• Klaus Herbers : Leo IV. And the papacy in the middle of the 9th century. Possibilities and limits of papal rule in the late Carolingian period. (= Popes and Papacy , Vol. 27) Anton Hiersemann, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-7772-9601-5 .

Web links

Commons : Leo IV.  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Leo IV in the catalog of the German National Library

predecessor	Office	successor
Sergius II	Pope 847-855	Benedict III