Pope John VII ( la, Ioannes VII; c. 650 – 18 October 707) was the

bishop of Rome A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

from 1 March 705 to his death. He was an ethnic Greek, one of the Byzantine popes, but had better relations with the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

, who ruled much of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, than with Emperor

Justinian II Justinian II ( la, Iustinianus; gr, Ἰουστινιανός, Ioustinianós; 668/69 – 4 November 711), nicknamed "the Slit-Nosed" ( la, Rhinotmetus; gr, ὁ Ῥινότμητος, ho Rhinótmētos), was the last Eastern Roman emperor of the ...

, who ruled the rest.

Family

John was an ethnic

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, a native of

Rossano Rossano is a town and ''frazione'' of Corigliano-Rossano in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, southern Italy. The city is situated on an eminence from the Gulf of Taranto. The town is known for its marble and alabaster quarries. The town i ...

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. His father, Plato (c. 620 – 686), was the curator of the

Palatine Hill The Palatine Hill (; la, Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus; it, Palatino ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." ...

for the

Byzantine emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as ...

. This makes John the first pope to be the son of a Byzantine official.Kelly, J. N. D. ''The Oxford Dictionary of Popes''. Oxford University Press, 1986, p. 84. His mother was called Blatta (c. 627 – 687).

Pontificate

John VII was selected to succeed John VI, another Greek, on 1 March 705. He had good relations with the Lombards, who then ruled much of Italy. However, his relations with Emperor

were far from smooth. Papal relations with Byzantium had soured over the

Quinisext Council The Quinisext Council (Latin: ''Concilium Quinisextum''; Koine Greek: , ''Penthékti Sýnodos''), i.e. the Fifth-Sixth Council, often called the Council ''in Trullo'', Trullan Council, or the Penthekte Synod, was a church council held in 692 at ...

of 692. Scholarly debate contests John VII's stance on the canons. He did not ratify them, and they were deeply unpopular in Italy. Nonetheless, he was criticized, most unusually, by the ''

Liber pontificalis The ''Liber Pontificalis'' (Latin for 'pontifical book' or ''Book of the Popes'') is a book of biographies of popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century. The original publication of the ''Liber Pontificalis'' stopped with Pope Adrian II (86 ...

'' for not signing them:

He mperor Justinian IIdespatched two metropolitan bishops, also sending with them a mandate in which he requested and urged the pontiff ohn VIIto gather a council of the apostolic church, and to confirm such of them as he approved, and quash and reject those which were adverse. But he, terrified in his human weakness, sent them back to the prince by the same metropolitans without any emendations at all.

John VII died 18 October, 707 and was buried in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary which had been added on to St. Peter's. He was succeeded by Sisinnius.

Legacy

Several monuments 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 ...

are connected with John. The most notable is the Santa Maria Antiqua church at the foot of the

. Traces of an episcopal palace Episcopium associated with John have been discovered upon the Palatine. John VII also constructed the

Oratory of John VII Oratory is a type of public speaking. Oratory may also refer to: * Eloquence, fluent, forcible, elegant, or persuasive speaking * Rhetoric, the art of discourse Places * Oratory (worship), a public or private place of divine worship, akin to a ...

Old St Peter's Basilica Old St. Peter's Basilica was the building that stood, from the 4th to 16th centuries, where the new St. Peter's Basilica stands today in Vatican City. Construction of the basilica, built over the historical site of the Circus of Nero, began durin ...

, dedicated to the

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' ( Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or '' Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations a ...

. Fragments of the mosaic decoration can be found in the Vatican grottoes. Furthermore, a sizeable icon, known as the ''

Madonna della Clemenza The Madonna della Clemenza is a panel painting in encaustic (with later over-painting), variously dated between the 6th and 9th century, in the Basilica Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome, Italy. It is an icon of the enthroned Virgin and Child. The ...

'' and housed in Santa Maria in Trastevere, is believed to have been commissioned under the patronage of John.Nordhagen, J. P. "Icons designed for the display of sumptuous votive gifts". ''Dumbarton Oaks Papers'', Vol. 41, 1988. He also restored the monastery of Subiaco, destroyed by the Lombards in 601.

Notes

References

*Claudio Rendina, ''I Papi. Storia e segreti'', Newton Compton, Rome, 1984. {{DEFAULTSORT:John 07 7th-century births 707 deaths People from Rossano Popes Greek popes Popes of the Byzantine Papacy 8th-century archbishops 8th-century popes Burials at St. Peter's Basilica