St. Symmachus
Symmachus · 498 – 514
Survived a contested election and a violent antipope to lead the Church through a turbulent period.
Symmachus was from Sardinia and became pope in 498 amid a disputed election that produced the antipope Laurentius. The conflict dragged on for years, with riots in the streets of Rome. Symmachus eventually prevailed and spent his later years ransoming captives, building churches, and sending aid to African bishops exiled by the Arian Vandals.
Why He Matters
Symmachus governed through one of the most chaotic periods in papal history. That the Church survived the Laurentian schism and emerged with its structure intact owes something to his stubbornness and his turn toward charity once the crisis passed.