Christophoros 26 was the father of Sergios 53: Lib. Pont. 96. 5. He was an adviser (consiliarius) to the bishop of Rome; in early 757 he was sent with Paulos 49, the brother of the bishop of Rome, pope Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8), to Tuscia to visit Desiderios 3 (Desiderius), who was seeking the pope's support in his attempt to become king of the Lombards in succession to Aistulf 1; the papal embassy, supported by the Frank Fulrad 1, obtained a written guarantee from Desiderios 3 that he would fulfil his promises to the pope: Lib. Pont. 94. 49 (Christoforum consiliarium).

Primicerius et consiliarius; Christophoros 26 was disturbed by the improper election of the antipope Constantine (Konstantinos 140) in 768 and asked permission to become a monk in the monastery of the Saviour (near Reate, in the ducatus of Spoletium), together with his son (Sergios 53), in order not to have to serve under pope Konstantinos 140; he received permission only after taking an oath (of loyalty) to Konstantinos 140; he and his son quickly set out for the monastery, close to Lombard territory, but turned off the route shortly before arriving and went to the Lombard dux of Spoletium, Theodikios 1, instead, and asked him to escort them to king Desiderios 3 (Desiderius), north of the river Po; he agreed, they reached the Lombard court and asked Desiderios to help the Church against Konstantinos 140: Lib. Pont. 96. 5. On the date, see Duchesne, Lib. Pont., pp. 480-481, n. 3.

When allowed to leave court, they went to Reate; Christophoros 26 remained there at first while Sergios 53 went on with an armed force to Rome (in July 768) to remove pope Konstantinos 140: Lib. Pont. 96. 7. Relatives of Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53 let Sergios 53 into the city via the Porta Pancratii: Lib. Pont. 96. 8.

Soon afterwards Christophoros 26 (still alluded to as "Christoforus primicerius") came to Rome to find that after the removal of Konstantinos 140 a certain Philippus (Philippos 11) had been chosen as bishop of Rome; enraged, he rejected him and he refused to enter Rome until Philippos 11 was removed; Philippos 11 retired, and Christophoros 26 summoned a general assembly of clergy and laity which agreed on the choice of Stephanos 84 as the next pope: Lib. Pont. 96. 10-11.

A plot to murder Christophoros 26 and other leading Romans was alleged, involving the priest Waldipert 1, the dux Theodikios 1 and some Romans, with the aim of delivering Rome to the Lombards (see Christophoros 27): Lib. Pont. 96. 15 ("interficiendum praefatum Christophorum primicerium et alios Romanos primatos, et civitatem Romanam Langobardorum genti tradendum").

Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53 encouraged Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84) to write to Charlemagne and Carloman (Karoulos 1 and Karoulomannos 2) asking for help in recovering from the Lombards and Desiderios 3 (Desiderius) the rights of St Peter ("iustitiae sancti Petri") which Desiderios 3 refused to return to the church ("imminentibus atque decertantibus in hoc sepius nominatis Christoforo primicerio et Sergio secundicerio"); learning that Desiderios 3 planned to visit Rome and kill them, they gathered a force from Tuscia, Campania and the ducatus of Perusia and put Rome into a state of defence; meanwhile Desiderios 3 suborned Paulus Afiarta (Paulos 51) to undermine their credibility with pope Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84): Lib. Pont. 96. 28.

After Desiderios 3 reached Rome and began talks with pope Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84), Paulos 51 continued to stir the people against Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53; they assembled their followers, who invaded the Lateran palace under arms in order to seize the plotters, but were strongly rebuked by pope Stephanos 84 himself when they entered the basilica of Theodoros: Lib. Pont. 96. 29. The next day they were gathered with their people near the city gate leading to St Peter's when a message from Stephanos 84 (see Andreas 31 and Iordanes 3) warned them for their own safety either to go to a monastery or come to him and Desiderios 3 in St Peter's; they refused to go to St Peter's out of fear of Desiderios 3, but after the warning from pope Stephanos 84, their support melted away, including a relative of theirs, Gratiosus (Gratiosos 3); seeing that they had been tricked, first Sergios 53 and then Christophoros 26 made their way to St Peter's and surrendered; trying to save them, pope Stephanos 84 made them both monks: Lib. Pont. 96. 30-31. During the night, however, they were removed from St Peter's by Desiderios 3 and Paulos 51 and both had their eyes put out; Christophoros 26 was taken to the monastery of St Agatha, where he died of his sufferings three days later: Lib. Pont. 96. 31-32.

Later, in a letter to the Lombards and Desiderios 3, pope Stephanos 84's successor, Hadrianos 1, told how he had learned from Stephanos 84 about the unreliability of Desiderios 3, and how Desiderios 3 had had the eyes put out of two nobles of the church, the primicerius Christophoros 26 and his son the secundicerius Sergios 53 ("erui fecit oculos Christophori primicerii et Sergii secundicerii filii eius, suamque voluntatem de ipsis duobus proceribus ecclesiae explevit"), and how Desiderios 3 later claimed credit for freeing Stephanos 84 from the domination of these two and warned him that they were friends of the Frankish king Carloman (Karoulomannos 2) who would come to avenge them: Lib. Pont. 97. 5. The bodies of Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53 were later buried in St Peter's by Hadrian (Hadrianos 1) with full honour: Lib. Pont. 97. 14.

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