Soter
twelfth pope of the Catholic Church
b. 2nd century · d. c. 175
12th Bishop of Rome (Pope) · 20 Apr 168–174
Offices
- Bishop of Rome (Pope) № 12 · 20 Apr 168 – 174
Pope Soter was the bishop of Rome from c. 167 to his death in c. 174. According to the Annuario Pontificio, the dates may have ranged from 162–168 to 170–177. He was born in Fundi, in the Lazio region of Italy. Soter is known for declaring that marriage was valid only as a sacrament blessed by a priest and also for formally inaugurating Easter as an annual festival in Rome. His name, from Greek Σωτήριος from σωτήρ "saviour", would be his baptismal name, as his lifetime predates the tradition of adopting papal names.
Related people
Commemorated
Places
- St. Peter's Basilica burial
- Rome ministry
- Fondi birth
How we know
Recorded as a historical figure.
- Ecclesiastical History 1 claim — HE 4.19
- Liber Pontificalis 1 claim — Liber Pontificalis, the life of Soter