Antipope Philip (c. 701 – c. 800) was an antipope who held office for just one day, on 31 July 768. In 768, Philip was a priest serving in the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

of St. Vitus on the

Esquiline The Esquiline Hill (; la, Collis Esquilinus; it, Esquilino ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Its southernmost cusp is the ''Oppius'' (Oppian Hill). Etymology The origin of the name ''Esquiline'' is still under much debate. One view is ...

. Rome was in turmoil following the death of Pope Paul I, as rival factions sought to elect a pope to succeed him. The

Primicerius The Latin term ''primicerius'', hellenized as ''primikērios'' ( el, πριμικήριος), was a title applied in the later Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire to the heads of administrative departments, and also used by the Church to denote t ...

, Christophorus, and his son Sergius, the papal treasurer, had sought Lombard help to depose Pope Constantine II, who was the candidate of the military faction in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The Lombard king,

Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. Des ...

, agreed to provide troops, and sent a Lombard priest, Waldipert, to act as his representative, with authority to deal with Christophorus and Sergius. Waldipert accompanied Sergius in an attack on Rome that ended Constantine's papacy. When Constantine had been taken captive, Waldipert, without alerting Sergius, and most likely following instructions from Desiderius, collected a number of Romans and entered the Monastery of St. Vitus on the Esquiline on Sunday, 31 July. There they approached Philip, declared that

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

had chosen him as pope, and escorted him to the

Lateran Basilica The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...

. Here, after having the customary prayers read over him by a bishop found for the occasion, Philip held the traditional feast in the Lateran palace, attended by a number of dignitaries from both Church and State. Christophorus had by now returned to

and was approaching the city gates. Learning of Philip's uncanonical election, he stated to the Romans who had gone out to greet him, that he would not enter Rome until Philip was removed. Philip's election was declared invalid, he was declared guilty of simony, the pontifical garments were removed from him, and he was forced to return to his monastery.DeCormenin, Louis Marie; Gihon, James L., ''A Complete History of the Popes of Rome, from Saint Peter, the First Bishop to Pius the Ninth'' (1857), pg. 197 Christophorus entered Rome and oversaw the election of Stephen III. After his deposition and return to the monastery, Philip was never seen nor heard from again, and died in obscurity.

Notes

References

* Mann, Horace K., ''The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Vol. I: The Popes Under the Lombard Rule, Part 2, 657–795'' (1903) {{DEFAULTSORT:Philip, Antipope Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 8th-century antipopes 8th-century Christian clergy Philip