Theodorus (archbishop of Ravenna)
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Theodorus Archbishop of Ravenna | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theodorus' sarcophagus in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna[nb 1] | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Archdiocese of Ravenna |
| In office | September 677 – 18 January 691[1] |
| Predecessor | Reparatus |
| Successor | Damianus |
Theodorus was the archbishop of Ravenna from 677 to 691.[2]: 304
Consecrated in Ravenna by his suffragans,[2]: 283–4 [3] under his tenure the church of Ravenna reconciled with the Roman papacy, thus ending a period of acrimony during which the Byzantine emperor Constans II, who was a monothelite, directly opposed the Pope by proclaiming the autocephaly of the church of Ravenna in 666.[4]: 320 [2]: 283–4
In fact, in 680 Theodorus adhered to the Sixth Ecumenical Council which condemned monothelitism in favour of the Chalcedonian orthodoxy, thus resubmitting his church to Pope Agatho,[4]: 321 [3] and in 682 he formally renounced to the typus of autocephaly, following the resumption of friendly relations between Constans II's successor Constantine IV and the new Pope Leo II.[2]: 283–4
Writing for the Catholic Encyclopedia, church historian Umberto Benigni claimed that he "was hated by his clergy for having suppressed many abuses among them".[3]
According to the 9th-century historian Andreas Agnellus, during Theodorus' tenure his namesake Theodorus, exarch of Ravenna, ordered a chapel dedicated to Saint Theodore the Deacon, but of which there is no trace today.[2]: 146–7
Burial
Theodorus' stone sarcophagus is located in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe,[5]: 53 along with others belonging to some of his distant successors such as Gratiosus (died circa 789). All these sarcophagi were sculpted imitating higher-quality models from previous centuries.[2]: 289
