Hierarch 6th century

Agapitus of Rome

c. 489–536

Also known as Agapetus I · Agapitus, Pope of Rome

Agapitus, Pope of Rome, was a zealous defender of the Orthodox faith who was sent on a mission to Constantinople and contended against heresy there before his repose in 536.

Feast Day

April 17

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Agapitus, Pope of Rome

Life

Agapitus of Rome was a sixth-century bishop of Rome, elected to the See of Rome in 535 during the period of Ostrogothic rule in Italy. Remembered in the Orthodox tradition as a zealous defender of the faith, he is best known for a brief but consequential mission to Constantinople, where he contended against heretical teaching at the imperial capital before his death in 536.

Though his pontificate lasted only about ten months, it left a lasting mark through his confrontation with the patriarch Anthimus and his defense of Orthodox Christology. He is commemorated in the East on April 17 and is venerated as a saint in both the Eastern and Western traditions.

Timeline 4 moments Read Hide

c. 489 Birth in Rome By the account preserved in Western sources, Agapitus was born at Rome, the son of a priest named Gordianus. He served in the Roman clergy, being ordained deacon and later rising to the rank of archdeacon.
535 Elevation to the See of Rome Esteemed for his piety, Agapitus was elevated to the See of Rome in 535 (elected, by the Western reckoning, on 13 May).
535–536 Mission to Constantinople The Gothic king sent Agapitus to Constantinople on a diplomatic mission. He travelled east in the winter and reached the capital in early 536, where he sought to dissuade the Emperor Justinian from his designs against the Goths.
536 Defense of Orthodoxy and repose At Constantinople, Agapitus confronted the patriarch Anthimus, refusing him communion until he should profess the Orthodox faith, and consecrated Menas in his place. He defended Orthodox teaching against the followers of Severus, then died at Constantinople in 536.

Contributions & Legacy

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The Mission to Constantinople

Italy in the 530s lay under Ostrogothic rule, and as relations between the Gothic kingdom and the Eastern Empire deteriorated, the Gothic king dispatched Agapitus to Constantinople to negotiate peace and to dissuade the Emperor Justinian from a military campaign in Italy. According to Western sources, the pope set out in mid-winter 535 in the company of several bishops and arrived in the capital early in 536. The emperor, however, declined to abandon his preparations.

Once at Constantinople, Agapitus turned to the affairs of the Church. He found the patriarchal throne occupied by Anthimus, whom he regarded as having intruded improperly upon the see and as suspect in faith. When Anthimus would neither give a written profession of Orthodox belief nor return to his former see, Agapitus deposed him and, by the Western account, personally consecrated Menas as patriarch in his place. He further upheld Orthodox Christology against the teaching associated with Severus, which held that the body of Christ was subject to corruption as that of any man.

Miracles

Traditional accounts preserved in the synaxarion relate that, on his journey to the capital, Agapitus healed a man who was both lame and mute: the man was restored to walking, and after receiving the Holy Mysteries he was able to speak. The same tradition records that, after his arrival in Constantinople, the saint gave sight to a blind beggar. These accounts are transmitted as part of his hagiographical memory rather than as independently documented events.

Relics & Legacy

Agapitus died at Constantinople in 536. By the Western tradition his remains were placed in a lead coffin and carried back to Rome, where they were deposited in the basilica of Saint Peter. Despite the brevity of his reign, he is remembered for his firm defense of the faith during his mission, and he is honored as a saint in both the Eastern and Western Churches, his feast being kept on April 17 in the East.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints