Pope Dionysius was the

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

from 22 July 259 to his death on 26 December 268. His task was to reorganize the Roman church, after the persecutions of

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Valerian I and the edict of toleration by his successor

Gallienus Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (; c. 218 – September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that nearly caused the collapse of the empi ...

. He also helped rebuild the churches of

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Re ...

, devastated by the marauding

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe ...

Pontificate

Dionysius may have been born in

Magna Græcia Magna Graecia (, ; , , grc, Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς, ', it, Magna Grecia) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; the ...

, but this has not been verified. He was elected pope in 259, after the martyrdom of

Sixtus II Pope Sixtus II ( el, Πάπας Σίξτος Β΄), also written as Pope Xystus II, was bishop of Rome from 31 August 257 until his death on 6 August 258. He was martyred along with seven deacons, including Lawrence of Rome, during the persecutio ...

in 258. The Holy See had been vacant for nearly a year due to difficulty in electing a new pope during the violent persecution which Christians faced. When the persecution had begun to subside, Dionysius was raised to the office of Bishop of Rome.

Emperor Valerian I Valerian (; la, Publius Licinius Valerianus; c. 199 – 260 or 264) was Roman emperor from 253 to spring 260 AD. He persecuted Christians and was later taken captive by the Persian emperor Shapur I after the Battle of Edessa, becoming the fi ...

, who had led the persecution, was captured and killed by the King of Persia in 260.Kirsch, Johann Peter (1909). "Pope St. Dionysius" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company. The new emperor,

, issued an edict of

toleration Toleration is the allowing, permitting, or acceptance of an action, idea, object, or person which one dislikes or disagrees with. Political scientist Andrew R. Murphy explains that "We can improve our understanding by defining "toleration" as ...

, restoring the churches, cemeteries and other properties it had held, leading to the nearly 40-year " Little Peace of the Church".Eusebius, ''Historia Ecclesiastica'', 7.13; translated by G.A. Williamson, ''Eusebius: The History of the Church'' (Harmonsworth: Penguin, 1965), p. 299 To the new pope fell the task of reorganizing the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church, which had fallen into great disorder. On the protest of some of the faithful at

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

, he demanded from the bishop of Alexandria, also called Dionysius, explanations concerning his doctrine regarding the relation of God to the

Logos ''Logos'' (, ; grc, λόγος, lógos, lit=word, discourse, or reason) is a term used in Western philosophy, psychology and rhetoric and refers to the appeal to reason that relies on logic or reason, inductive and deductive reasoning. Ari ...

, which was satisfied. Pope Dionysius sent large sums of money to the churches of

, which had been devastated by the marauding

, to rebuild and to ransom those held captive. He brought order to the church and procured a peace after Emperor

issued an edict of toleration which was to last until 303. He died on 26 December 268. In art, he is portrayed in papal vestments, along with a book.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dionysius 01 268 deaths 3rd-century Christian saints 3rd-century Romans Greek popes Greek Roman Catholics Papal saints Popes Year of birth unknown 3rd-century popes

Pontificate

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