Pope Saint Sylvester 1 (died 335) Feast day 31st December

Sylvester 1 was the 33rd Pope of the Catholic church. he was bishop of Rome from 314 until his death on 31st December 335.

What little we know about him is a mixture of truth and legend written in the Liber Pontificalis in the 7th or 8th century.

He filled the see of Rome at an important era in the history of the Western Church.

Emperor Constantine was the first Roman emperor to become a Christian and it is said Sylvester baptised him (legend). In reality Eusebuis, of Nicomedia, an Arian bishop of Constantinople, baptised Constantine in May 337 shortly before he died

Accounts of his pontificate preserved in the 7th or 8th century ‘records’ tell us very little about him except for a record of gifts conferred on the church by Constantine known as the Donations of Constantine (legend/forgery). Also that he was the son of a Roman called Rufinus.

Large churches were founded and built during his pontificate - basilica of St. John Lateran, Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, Old St. Peter’s Basilica and several churches built over the graves of martyrs.

In 325 the First Council of Nicaea was held where the Nicene Creed was formulated. Sylvester was invited to attend but sent two legates.

In the fictional/legendary accounts of Sylvester’s relationship with the emperor, which made him famous, he is said to have cured Constantine of leprosy by baptismal waters. In another legend the emperor walked before Sylvester’s horse holding the Pope’s bridle. as the papal groom. The suggestion being the Pope is supreme over all rulers even the Roman emperor.

Pope Saint Sylvester 1 was Pope in Rome at the beginning of the Christian Roman Empire under emperor Constantine.

Extra information include - Bishops of Rome under Constantine the Great
Did Constantine currupt the Bible?
Sources
wikipedia
Britannica Online Encyclopedia
The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander