St. Sylvester I
Sylvester · 314 – 335
Pope during Constantine's legalization of Christianity, overseeing the Church's dramatic shift from persecuted sect to imperial religion.
Sylvester became pope just a year after Constantine's Edict of Milan ended the persecution of Christians, and he led the Church through its most dramatic transformation. Under his pontificate, Christianity went from meeting in homes and catacombs to worshipping in grand basilicas funded by the emperor. Constantine built the original St. Peter's Basilica and the Lateran Basilica during Sylvester's reign. The Council of Nicaea in 325, which produced the Nicene Creed, took place on his watch, though he sent legates rather than attending personally. Later centuries attached legends to his name, including the forged "Donation of Constantine," a medieval fabrication claiming Constantine gave the pope authority over the Western Roman Empire.
From Catacombs to Basilicas
Sylvester's pontificate marks one of the sharpest turns in Church history. Christians who had been hiding underground were suddenly building the largest churches in the Roman Empire. Whether that was entirely a good thing is still debated. The Church gained power and resources but also became entangled with imperial politics in ways that would cause problems for centuries.