Editing Pope Urban I

{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from 222 to 230}}
{{Redirect|Saint Urban|other saints with this name|Saint Urban (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Pope
| honorific-prefix = [[Pope Saint]]
| name = Urban I
| title = [[Bishop of Rome]]
| church = [[Catholic Church]]
| image = Sala di costantino, papa urbano I tra la giustizia e la carità.jpg
| caption = ''Saint Urban between [[Lady Justice|Iustitia]] and [[Charites]]'', by [[Raphael]], {{circa|1520–24}}, [[Raphael Rooms|Sala di Costantino]]
| term_start = 222
| term_end = 23 May 230
| predecessor = [[Pope Callixtus I|Callixtus I]]
| successor = [[Pope Pontian|Pontian]]
| birth_date = 175?
| birth_place = [[Rome]], [[Roman Italy|Italy]], [[Roman Empire]]
| death_date = 23 May 230<ref name="ce"/>
| death_place = [[Rome]], [[Roman Italy|Italy]], [[Roman Empire]]
| feast_day = 25 May
| other = Urban
| patronage = Family doctors, [[Cieszowa]]
}}
'''Pope Urban I''' ({{langx|la|Urbanus I}}), also known as '''Saint Urban''' (175?–230), was the [[bishop of Rome]] from 222 to 23 May 230.<ref name="ce">Kirsch, Johann Peter (1912). "Pope Urban I" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company.</ref> He was born in [[Rome]] and succeeded [[Callixtus I]], who had been martyred. It was believed for centuries that Urban I was also martyred. However, recent historical discoveries now lead scholars to believe that he died of natural causes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pope Urban I |url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15209a.htm |website=newadvent.org |publisher=New Advent, LLC. |access-date=9 October 2022}}</ref>

==Pontificate==
Much of Urban's life is shrouded in mystery, leading to many myths and misconceptions. Despite the lack of sources, he is the first [[pope]] whose reign can be definitely dated.<ref>Kung, Hans. ''The Catholic Church: A Short History''. New York; The Modern Library, 2003, p. 41</ref> Two prominent sources exist for Urban's pontificate: [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]]'s [[Church History (Eusebius)|history]] of the early Church and an inscription in the ''[[Catacomb of Callixtus|Coemeterium Callisti]]'' that names the Pope.<ref name="ce"/> Urban ascended to the papacy in 222, the year of Emperor [[Elagabalus]]'s assassination, and served during the reign of [[Alexander Severus]]. It is believed that Urban's pontificate took place during a peaceful time for Christians in the [[Roman Empire|Empire]] since Severus did not promote the [[Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire|persecution of Christianity]].<ref name="ce"/>

It is believed that the [[schism (religion)|schismatic]] [[Hippolytus of Rome|Hippolytus]] was still leading a rival Christian congregation in Rome and that he published the ''[[Hippolytus of Rome#Writings|Philosophumena]]'', an attack on Urban's predecessor, [[Callixtus I]].<ref name="Catholic Encyclopedia">{{CathEncy|id=15209a|title= Pope Urban I}}</ref> Urban is said to have maintained the hostile policy of Callixtus when dealing with the schismatic party.<ref name="ce"/>

Due to the relative freedoms the Christian community had during Severus's reign, the Church in Rome grew, which led to the belief that Urban was a skilled converter.<ref name="Catholic Encyclopedia"/> A papal decree concerning the donations of the faithful at [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] is attributed to Pope Urban:
<blockquote>The gifts of the faithful that are offered to the Lord can only be used for ecclesiastical purposes, for the common good of the Christian community, and for the poor; for they are the consecrated gifts of the faithful, the atonement offering of sinners, and the patrimony of the needy.<ref>Roman Breviary</ref></blockquote>

==Tomb==
It was believed that Urban was buried in the [[Coemetarium Praetextati]] where a tomb was inscribed with his name. However, when excavating the [[Catacomb of Callixtus]] Italian archaeologist [[Giovanni de Rossi]] uncovered the lid of a sarcophagus which suggested that Urban was in fact buried there. De Rossi also found a list of martyrs and confessors who were buried at St. Callistus's, which contained Urban's name. De Rossi therefore concluded that the Urban buried in the Coemetarium Praetextati was another bishop and Pope Urban was located in Catacomb of St. Callistus. While many historians accept this opinion, doubt remains since [[Pope Sixtus III]]'s list of saints buried in St. Callistus's Catacomb does not include Urban in the succession of popes but rather in a list of foreign bishops. Therefore, it is possible that Pope Urban is indeed buried in the Coemetarium Praetextati.<ref name="Catholic Encyclopedia"/><ref>''Calendarium Romanum'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 124</ref>

Urban is a saint of the [[Catholic Church]] and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].<ref>February 25 / February 12. https://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/htc/orthodox-calendar/</ref> A relic from his body is located in [[Hungary]] in the [[Monok]] Roman Catholic Church. In 1773, [[Pope Clement XIV]] donated it to the [[Andrássy]] family.

==Legends and myths==
As no contemporary accounts of Urban's pontificate exist there have been many legends and acts attributed to him which are fictitious or difficult to ascertain the factual nature of. The legendary [[Acts of St. Cecilia]] and the ''[[Liber Pontificalis]]'' contain information on Urban although their reliability is doubtful. Chaucer made him a character in "[[The Second Nun's Tale]]" of ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]''.

A story that was once included in the Catholic Church's [[Breviary]] states that Urban had many converts among whom were Tiburtius and his brother Valerianus, the husband of [[Saint Cecilia|Cecilia]]. Tradition credits Urban with the miracle of toppling an idol through prayer.<ref>Roman Breviary: ''Saint Urban began to make his orison to God; and anon the idol fell down and slew twenty-two priests of the law that held fire for to make sacrifice.''</ref> This event is believed to have led to Urban being beaten and tortured before being sentenced to death by beheading.

A further belief, now known as an invention from the 6th century, was that Urban had ordered the making of silver liturgical vessels and the [[paten]]s for twenty-five titular churches of his own time.

==Art==
[[Image:Św Urban figura Cieszowa 254.jpg|thumb|upright|An anachronistic depiction of Urban wearing the papal tiara]]
Urban is found in various pieces of artwork usually in one of two forms. He is often found sitting wearing the [[papal tiara]], papal robes and holding a sword pointed towards the ground. Otherwise, he may be portrayed wearing papal garb and a bishop's mitre while he holds a [[Bible]] and a [[bunch of grapes]].<ref>[http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/images2/urban3.jpg Portrait of Urban] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614070145/http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/images2/urban3.jpg |date=14 June 2007 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.agrokomplex.sk/pol_muzeum/english/muzeum/photos/img/10.jpg Portrait of Urban] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614070145/http://www.agrokomplex.sk/pol_muzeum/english/muzeum/photos/img/10.jpg |date=14 June 2007 }}</ref>
An image of Urban is on a 12th-century fresco at [[Chalivoy-Milon]] in the Berry Art Gallery.<ref>[http://picasaweb.google.com/JuliannaLees/ChalivoyMilon Image of Pope Saint Urbanus] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620020359/http://picasaweb.google.com/JuliannaLees/ChalivoyMilon |date=20 June 2010}}</ref>

Other less common depictions of Pope Urban are: 
*after his beheading, with the papal tiara near him.
*as idols fall from a column while he is beheaded;
*scourged at the stake;
*seated in a landscape as a young man (Saint Valerian) kneels before him and a priest holds a book.

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Christianity|History}}
*[[List of Catholic saints]]
*[[List of popes]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Urbanus I|Pope Urban I}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-rel|grt}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Pope Callixtus I|Callixtus I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Bishop of Rome]]|years=222–230}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Pope Pontian|Pontian]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Popes}}
{{Catholic saints}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Urban 01}}
[[Category:170s births]]
[[Category:230 deaths]]
[[Category:3rd-century archbishops]]
[[Category:3rd-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:3rd-century Romans]]
[[Category:Italian popes]]
[[Category:Italian saints]]
[[Category:Papal saints]]
[[Category:Clergy from Rome]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:3rd-century popes]]
[[Category:Popes]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]