He was son of a Roman nobleman, had been educated in the monastery
of St. Martin without the walls, and was made by Sergius II.
priest of the four crowned martyrs. He was chosen pope after the
death of Sergius II. in 847, and governed the Church eight years,
three months, and some days. The Saracens from Calabria had lately
plundered St. Peter’s church on the Vatican, and were still hovering
about Rome. Leo made it his first care to repair the ornamental
part of this church, especially the Confession or burying-place of
St. Peter with the altar which stood upon it. To prevent a second
plundering of that holy place, he, with the approbation and liberal
contributions of the emperor Lothaire, enclosed it and the whole
Vatican hill with a wall, and built there a new _rione_ or quarter of
the city, which from him is called Leonina. He rebuilt or repaired
the walls of the city, fortified with fifteen towers. Whilst he was
putting Rome in a posture of defence, the Saracens marched towards
Porto in order to plunder that town. The Neapolitans sent an army to
the assistance of the Romans: the pope met these troops at Ostia,
gave them his blessing, and all the soldiers received the holy
communion at his hands. After the pope’s departure, a bloody battle
ensued, and the Saracens were all slain, taken, or dispersed. The
good pope considered the sins of the people as the chief source
of public disasters; and being inflamed with a holy zeal, he most
vigorously exerted his authority for the reformation of manners
and of the discipline of the Church. For this purpose he held at
Rome a council of sixty-seven bishops; and, among other instances,
he deposed and excommunicated Anastasius, cardinal priest of St.
Marcellus’s church, because he had neglected to reside in his parish.
He received honorably Ethelwolph, king of England, who, in 854, made
a pilgrimage to Rome.
Pope Leo directed to all bishops and pastors a Homily on the Pastoral
Care, published by Labbe from the Vatican manuscripts, and also
extant in the Roman Pontifical. In it all the chief functions of the
pastoral charge are regulated, and every duty enforced with no less
learning than piety. Among other miracles performed by this holy
pope, it is recorded that by the sign of the cross he extinguished
a great fire in the city, which threatened the church of the prince
of the apostles. He died on the 17th of July, 855, and Bennet III.,
priest of the church of St. Calixtus, was immediately chosen pope
in his room.[197] He, with many tears, begged that so formidable a
burden might not be laid on his shoulders, but could not prevail.
Anastasius, the deposed priest, set up for pope, and procured the
protection of the emperor Louis II.; but the steady unanimity of the
people in the election of Bennet III., overcame this opposition, and
he was consecrated on the 1st day of September in the same year, 855,
as is related by Anastasius, who was then living, and shortly after
(before the year 870) Bibliothecarian of the church of Rome, the most
learned man and the most shining ornament of that age, as Dr. Cave
allows him to have been. See Solier the Bollandist, t. 4, Jul. p. 302.