The Papacy

THE PAPACY For nearly two thousand years, one institution has successfully survived the rise and falls of empires, kingdoms and cultures. To Catholics and non-Catholics alike, the workings of the Vatican, together with its colourful history, are a source of endless fascination, this magnificently illustrated book presents a definitive look at both. As we enter the third millennium, the papacy remains of huge global significance. How did this 'monarchy' arise, and who were the men who made it a central part of our lives? The Papacy starts with St. Peter, Christ's 'rock on which the church shall stand', and traditionally the first bishop of Rome. Then nine eminent historians review the 2,000 years of papal history; from the early popes such as St. Anacletus, possibly the first bishop of Rome, and probably once a Greek slave, to Leo the Great (d. 461), one of the greatest of early leaders of the church, who persuaded Attila the Hun to spare Rome. Gregory the Great (d. 604) was one of the most important popes of the middle ages; under him the papacy became responsible for the temporal, as well as spiritual, governance of the city. This reached its apogee under Leo III who, on Christmas Day 800, crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, an outward manifestation that the Empire was now subject to the Papacy. The Great Schism is explored, and after it came the great - and notorious - Renaissance popes: Alexander VI (Borgia), known for his profligate life and the promotion of his children through the church hierarchy. But equally there is Julius II, who initiated the rebuilding of St. Peter's , and hired both Raphael and Michelangelo. The decline of the papal states as a political entity is seen under Pius VI, who was arrested and taken to France by Napoleon. Nearly a hundred years later, under Pius IX (d. 1878), the papal states finally disappeared.