Pope Saint Boniface IV

Memorial: 8 May
formerly 25 May
Profile: Son of a physician named John. Student under Saint Gregory the Great. Benedictine monk in Rome. Served as deacon under Saint Gregory the Great; dispenser of alms and patrimonies. Chosen 67th Pope in 608. Converted the Roman temple of the old gods, the Pantheon, to a Christian church dedicated to Our Lady and all the Martyrs in 609, the first such conversion of a temple from pagan to Christian use. Supported the expansion of the faith into England, and met with the first bishop of London. Encouraged reforms among the clergy, and balanced it with improvements in their living and working conditions. Corresponded with Saint Columba. Late in life he converted his own house into a monastery and lived there, dividing his time between his papal work and life as a prayerful monk.
Born: c.550 at Valeria, Abruzzi, Italy
Papal Ascension: 25 August 608
Died: 615 at Rome, Italy of natural causes; interred in the portico of Saint Peter's; relics moved c.1100; relics moved in the late 13th century by order of Pope Boniface VIII; relics re-interred in Saint Peter's Basilica on 21 October 1603
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Additional Information: Catholic Encyclopedia
New Catholic Dictionary
The Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints, by Matthew Brunson
Translate: español | français | deutsch | italiano | português