Bitalianos 3

Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire
SexM
FloruitM VII
Dates657 (taq) / 672 (ob.)
Variant NamesVitalianus;
pope Vitalian
ReligionChristian
EthnicityItalian
LocationsSt Peter (Church of, Rome) (burialplace);
Rome (officeplace);
Signia (Campania) (residence);
Rome (residence);
Signia (Campania);
Rome;
Signia (Campania) (birthplace)
OccupationBishop
TitlesArchbishop, Rome (office);
Bishop, Rome (office);
Patriarch, Rome (office);
Pope, Rome (office)
Textual SourcesConstantinople, Third Council of (Sixth Ecumenical Council), ed. R. Riedinger, Concilium Universale Constantinopolitanum Tertium, ACO II.2. 1 (Berlin, 1990-1992); also cited from Mansi XI passim (conciliar);
Liber Pontificalis, ed. L. Duchesne, Le liber pontificalis. Texte, introduction et commentaire, 2 vols. (Paris, 1886-92); re-issued with 3rd vol. by C. Vogel, (Paris, 1955-57) (chronicle);
Paulus Diaconus, Historia Gentis Langobardorum, ed. L. Bethmann and G. Waitz, MGH, Scr. Rer. Lang., pp. 12-187; also in MGH, Scr. Rer. Ger. 48, pp. 49-242 (history)

Bitalianos 3 (Vitalianus) was bishop of Rome from 30 July 657 to 27 January 672. A native of Signia in Campania, Bitalianos 3 was the son of Anastasios 35: Lib. Pont. 78. 1 ("Vitalianus, natione Signensis, provincia Campania, de patre Anastasio").

Bitalianos 3 succeeded Eugenius (Eugenios 5) as bishop of Rome in 657. He was bishop for fourteen years six months: Lib. Pont. 78. 1. He sent his synodical letter, announcing his election, to the emperor Constans II (Konstans 1) at Constantinople via his responsales (apocrisiarii), who returned having secured the renewal of the Church's privileges and with a gift of gospel books adorned with gold and jewels: Lib. Pont. 78. 1.

On 5 July 663 Bitalianos 3 and his clergy went to meet the emperor Konstans 1 himself at the sixth milestone from Rome (on the road to Naples), during the emperor's visit to Italy; twelve days later, after celebrating mass on the Sunday, the pope bade farewell to the emperor: Lib. Pont. 78. 2-3, Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. V 11 (the bishop of Rome, he greeted the emperor at the sixth milestone).

Bitalianos 3 sent Theodoros 50 and Hadrianos 9 to Britain: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. V 30 (from Bede). He died not long after the emperor Constans II (Konstans 1) was murdered in Syracuse: Lib. Pont. 78. 5 ("non post multum tempore"; in fact he outlived Constans II (Konstans 1) by three and a half years). He was buried at St Peter's on 27 January (672): Lib. Pont. 78. 6.

Bitalianos 3 was the addressee of a letter from the patriarch of Constantinople, Petros 2, professing the doctrine of One Will: Riedinger, p. 108, lines 18-20 (= Mansi XI 276) (the source is a letter of pope Agatho 1 to the emperor in 680), p. 560 (the letter was preserved in a register of Petros 2's letters at Constantinople, whence it was fetched to the Council of 680-681 by Georgios 33). His name had been excluded from the diptychs of the churches in the East but was included after a request by the patriarch Georgios 1 to the Third Council of Constantinople in 681: Riedinger, p. 210, lines 1-10 (= Mansi XI 345).

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