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| {{Saints
| | #REDIRECT [[Pope Saint Damasus I]] |
| |SaintName=Pope Damasus I
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| |SaintStage=Saint
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| |SaintBirthDate=c. 305
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| |SaintBirthPlace=Egitânia, Lusitania, Roman Empire
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| |SaintBirthCoordinates=
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| |SaintDeathDate=December 11, 384
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| |DeathPlace=Rome, Western Roman Empire
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| |SaintDeathCoordinates=
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| |SaintCauseOfDeath=Natural causes
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| |NotableAddress1=Rome, Western Roman Empire
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| |NotableCoordinates1=
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| |NotableAddress2=Constantinople, Eastern Roman Empire
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| |NotableCoordinates2=
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| |NotableAddress3=Unknown
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| |NotableCoordinates3=
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| |NotableAddress4=Unknown
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| |NotableCoordinates4=
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| |NotableAddress5=Unknown
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| |NotableCoordinates5=
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| |BeatificationDate=Unknown
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| |Beatifier=Unknown
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| |BeatificationLocation=Unknown
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| |Canonized=Yes
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| |CanonizationDate=Pre-Congregation
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| |Canonizer=Unknown
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| |CanonizationLocation=Unknown
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| |SaintMiracle1=Unknown
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| |SaintMiracle2=Unknown
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| |SaintMiracle3=Unknown
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| |FeastDay=December 11
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| |Profession=Priest, bishop, pope
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| |ReligiousAffiliation=Roman Catholic
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| |Patronage=Archaeologists
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| |Attributes=Papal tiara, episcopal vestments, book
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| |PrimaryShrine=Church of San Lorenzo in Damaso, Rome, Italy
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| |AdditionalVeneration=None
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| }}
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| '''Pope Saint Damasus I''' (c. 305 – December 11, 384) was a [[Saints|saint]] and the 37th Bishop of Rome, serving as pope from 366 to 384. Born in [[Egitânia]], Lusitania (modern Idanha-a-Velha, Portugal), to a Spanish priest, Antonius, and Laurentia, he was raised in Rome. Ordained a deacon, he served under Pope Liberius and was elected pope in 366 amid violent disputes with rival Ursinus, leading to bloodshed in Roman basilicas. Damasus consolidated his authority, supported by Emperor Valentinian I, and focused on unifying the Church, combating Arianism, and promoting Rome’s primacy. He commissioned [[Saint Jerome]] to revise Latin biblical texts, laying groundwork for the *Vulgate*, and standardized the Roman liturgy. A patron of martyrs’ cults, he restored catacombs, inscribed verse epitaphs, and built churches like San Lorenzo in Damaso. He convened synods, notably in 382, affirming the biblical canon and Roman authority. Damasus died of natural causes in Rome in 384. Canonized pre-Congregation, his feast day is [[December 11]]. He is patron of archaeologists due to his catacomb restorations.<ref name="web2">{{cite web |title=Pope Damasus I |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Damasus_I |website=Wikipedia |publisher=Wikimedia Foundation |access-date=2025-05-14}}</ref><ref name="web5">{{cite web |title=St. Damasus I |url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04613a.htm |website=Catholic Encyclopedia |publisher=New Advent |access-date=2025-05-14}}</ref>
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| His relics rest in the [[Church of San Lorenzo in Damaso]], Rome. Damasus’s epitaphs, written in elegant hexameter, and his restoration of martyr shrines, like those of Saints Peter and Paul, strengthened Rome’s Christian identity. Despite accusations of luxury and involvement in the “Massacre of the 137” during his election, his legacy as a defender of orthodoxy and promoter of biblical scholarship endures, particularly through his collaboration with Jerome.<ref name="web7">{{cite web |title=Saint Damasus I |url=https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-damasus-i |website=Franciscan Media |publisher=Franciscan Media |access-date=2025-05-14 |date=2024-12-11}}</ref><ref name="web10">{{cite web |title=Saint Damasus I |url=https://catholicsaints.info/saint-damasus-i/ |website=CatholicSaints.Info |publisher=CatholicSaints.Info |access-date=2025-05-14}}</ref>
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| ==Biography==
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| ===Birth===
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| Pope Damasus I was born around 305 in [[Egitânia]], Lusitania, to Antonius, a Spanish priest, and Laurentia. His family moved to Rome during his childhood, where his father served at the Church of San Lorenzo.<ref name="web2" /><ref name="web8">{{cite web |title=St. Damasus I |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-damasus-i-94 |website=Catholic News Agency |publisher=Catholic News Agency |access-date=2025-05-14 |date=2024-12-11}}</ref>
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| ===Early Life===
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| Raised in Rome, Damasus was steeped in Christian tradition. He followed his father into the clergy, becoming a deacon under Pope Liberius (352–366). During Liberius’s exile in 355–357 for opposing Arianism, Damasus remained loyal, serving the Roman Church despite the antipope Felix II’s brief reign.<ref name="web5" /><ref name="web12">{{cite web |title=Pope Saint Damasus I |url=https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/saints/damasus-i-1215 |website=EWTN |publisher=Eternal Word Television Network |access-date=2025-05-14}}</ref>
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| ===Occupation===
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| Damasus was a priest, deacon, and pope. Elected Bishop of Rome on October 1, 366, his papacy faced immediate opposition from Ursinus, whose supporters clashed violently, resulting in 137 deaths in the Basilica of Sicininus. Damasus, backed by Emperor Valentinian I, prevailed, exiling Ursinus. He convened synods (368, 382), condemned Arianism and Apollinarianism, and affirmed the biblical canon, including the deuterocanonical books. He commissioned Jerome to standardize Latin Scriptures and built churches, notably San Lorenzo in Damaso, integrating his family’s legacy.<ref name="web2" /><ref name="web7" />
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| ===Vocation===
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| Damasus’s vocation was unifying the Church and elevating Rome’s authority. He declared Rome the “Apostolic See,” citing Peter and Paul’s martyrdoms, and secured imperial decrees against heresies. His restoration of catacombs, with poetic epitaphs engraved on marble, honored martyrs and drew pilgrims. His patronage of Jerome’s translations ensured scriptural uniformity. Though criticized for lavish living (earning the nickname “ladies’ ear-tickler”), he defended orthodoxy and standardized the liturgy, influencing Western Christianity.<ref name="web10" /><ref name="web15">{{cite web |title=St. Damasus I |url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/12/11/st--damasus-i.html |website=Vatican News |publisher=Vatican News |access-date=2025-05-14 |date=2024-12-11}}</ref>
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| ===Death===
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| Damasus died on December 11, 384, in [[Rome]], of natural causes, likely old age, at around 79. Buried in a small church on the Via Ardeatina, his relics were later moved to the [[Church of San Lorenzo in Damaso]], which he had built. A marble slab with his epitaph survives in the basilica.<ref name="web2" /><ref name="web8" />
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| ==Significant events==
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| * Became deacon under Pope Liberius, c. 352.
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| * Elected pope amid Ursinus riots, October 1, 366.
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| * Convened Synod of Rome, condemned Arianism, 368.
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| * Commissioned Jerome for biblical translations, c. 382.
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| * Held Synod of Rome, affirmed biblical canon, 382.
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| * Died in Rome, December 11, 384.<ref name="web2" /><ref name="web5" />
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| ==Significant locations==
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| {{SaintMapSimple}}
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| ==Parishes==
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| {{Saint parish map|Where=Pope Damasus I|zoom=7|Saint=Pope Damasus I}}
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| ==Canonization==
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| ===Servant of God===
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| Damasus’s recognition as a Servant of God began shortly after his death, with veneration tied to his martyr cult patronage and catacomb restorations, noted in early Roman martyrologies.<ref name="web5" />
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| ===Venerable===
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| No formal Venerable declaration was recorded, as his sainthood predates modern processes. His cult grew through his churches and epitaphs.<ref name="web2" />
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| ===Beatification===
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| No distinct beatification occurred, as his contributions to orthodoxy and martyrology ensured early veneration.<ref name="web10" />
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| ===Canonization===
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| Damasus was canonized pre-Congregation, with no recorded date or canonizer. His feast day is [[December 11]], observed in the Roman Catholic Church.<ref name="web2" /><ref name="web7" />
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| ==Miracles==
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| No specific miracles were required for canonization, as his ecclesiastical reforms and martyr devotion sufficed. No miracles are widely attested.<ref name="web12" />
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| ===Miracle for beatification===
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| No miracle was formally documented, as his veneration predates modern processes.<ref name="web5" />
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| ===Miracle for canonization===
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| No miracle was required, per early Church norms for popes.<ref name="web10" />
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| ===Other notable miracles===
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| * Alleged divine favor in surviving Ursinus’s violent opposition, 366.<ref name="web15" />
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| ==Patronage==
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| Pope Damasus I is patron of archaeologists, reflecting his restoration of Rome’s catacombs and martyr shrines, which aided early Christian archaeology.<ref name="web3">{{cite web |title=Saint Damasus I |url=https://saintoftheday.com/st-damasus-i |website=Saint of the Day |publisher=Saint of the Day |access-date=2025-05-14 |date=2022-11-30}}</ref>
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| ==Feast day==
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| His feast day is [[December 11]] in the Roman Catholic Church, commemorating his death.<ref name="web2" /><ref name="web8" />
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| ==Veneration==
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| Damasus is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, with pilgrimages to the [[Church of San Lorenzo in Damaso]], Rome, where his relics rest. His image, often with a papal tiara and book, appears in Roman basilicas. Feast day Masses honor his role in biblical scholarship and martyr veneration, with readings from his epitaphs or Jerome’s letters. His catacomb inscriptions, like those for Saints Peter and Paul, and his churches, such as San Clemente, remain pilgrimage sites, underscoring his impact on Rome’s Christian heritage.<ref name="web10" /><ref name="web16">{{cite web |title=San Lorenzo in Damaso |url=https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/basilica-san-lorenzo-damaso |website=Turismo Roma |publisher=Turismo Roma |access-date=2025-05-14}}</ref>
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| ==Books==
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| ===Written about the saint===
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| * [https://www.amazon.com/Lives-Saints-Vol-VI/dp/B0006C7Z8H Lives of the Saints, Vol. VI by Alban Butler]<ref name="web5" />
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| * [https://www.amazon.com/Popes-History-Pontiffs-Peter-Present/dp/1400061059 The Popes: A History by John Julius Norwich]<ref name="web2" />
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| * [https://www.amazon.com/Early-Papacy-Century-Anthology-Patristic/dp/1586171763 The Early Papacy: To the Synod of Chalcedon in 451 by Adrian Fortescue]<ref name="web2" />
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| ===Written by the saint===
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| * None recorded, though his verse epitaphs for martyrs are preserved in Roman catacombs.<ref name="web5" />
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| ==External links==
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| * [https://catholicsaints.info/saint-damasus-i/ Saint Damasus I at CatholicSaints.Info]
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| * [https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=38 St. Damasus I at Catholic Online]
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| * [https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04613a.htm St. Damasus I in the Catholic Encyclopedia]
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| * [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Damasus_I Pope Damasus I at Wikipedia]
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| ==References==
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| {{Reflist}}
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