A Roman by birth, Eugene first served as vicar to the exiled Pope Martin I before succeeding him on the See of Peter in 654. Recognized for his gentleness, holiness, and immense charity toward the destitute, he died piously in 657. His body rests in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Guided reading
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SAINT EUGENE, POPE (657).
Vicariate and interim
During the exile of Saint Martin I, Eugene, a Roman cleric, ensured the continuity of the Church's government as vicar with modesty.
After Saint Martin I had been, by the orders of a heretical emperor, relegated to the Chersonesus, Eugen e, who Eugène Roman Sovereign Pontiff who succeeded Martin I. was Roman b y birt romain Birthplace of Maximian. h, and who had entered the Order of Clerics from childh ood, fulfilled t Ordre des Clercs Ecclesiastical body that Eugene entered in his childhood. he functions of the absent Sovereign Pontiff, so that there would be no interruption in the government of the Church. He used much modesty in the exercise of power, knowing well that, during the lifetime of Martin, he was not the legitimate Pontiff, but only his vicar and his legate.
Accession to the Pontificate
After the death of Martin I in exile, Eugene was legitimately elected and distinguished himself by his gentleness and personal holiness.
But when the martyr of Jesus Christ, Martin, had succumbed to the miseries and needs of every kind that besieged him in his exile, and had passed from this valley of tears to the blessed life, Eugene, wit h the Eugène Roman Sovereign Pontiff who succeeded Martin I. consent of the clergy, sat upon the chair of Peter as the legitimate successor of Martin, and, upon this height of the apostolic ministry, he showed himself to be such as the dignity of his supreme office, as well as the salvation and utility of the faithful entrusted to his care, demanded: he was gentle, good, indulgent, and, what is most important, illustrious for the holiness of his life.
Charity and end of life
Recognized for his great generosity towards the poor and the clergy, he died in 657 and was buried in St. Peter's Basilica.
The clergy was the object of his tenderness and paternal solicitude and was showered with his benefits. His charity towards the needy was admirable; during his life and at the moment of his death, he distributed the revenues of the Church to them with a liberal hand; he believed that the riches of the Church could not be put to a better use, and that, from the hands of the poor, they passed directly to the treasury of eternity, to fructify there admirably through spiritual usury. His pontificate ended with a holy death on June 2 in the year of Our Lord 657; his body was laid to rest in the Ba silica of Saint Peter. Th basilique de Saint-Pierre Burial place of the saint in Rome. e church of Mo nt-Saint-Quentin p Mont-Saint-Quentin Monastery near Péronne where Geoffrey was raised. ossesses a relic of the Saint.
Liturgical context
Mention of the text's origin from the Proper of Rome.
Proper of Rome.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Entered the Order of Clerics in childhood
- Vicar and legate of Pope Martin I during his exile
- Election as legitimate successor after the death of Martin I
- Church government marked by charity towards the poor
- Death and burial at St. Peter's Basilica