Sergios 30 was pope Sergius I, bishop of Rome from 687 to 701. He was a native of Syria, from the district of Antioch, but was apparently born in Panormus in Sicily, son of Tiberios 9: Lib. Pont. 86. 1 ("Sergius, natione Syrus, Antiochiae regionis, ortus ex patre Tiberio in Panormo Siciliae"). He went to Rome during the papacy of pope Adeodatus (Adeodatos 3) (672-676) and entered the Roman clergy ("inter clerum Romanae ecclesiae"); he was studious and showed singing talent and was placed under the precentor (Anonymus 236) for instruction ("priori cantorum pro doctrina est traditus"). Sergios 30 became an acolyte, rose up through the orders and was made a priest in the Church of St Susanna by pope Leo II (Leo 16) (682-683) ("et acolitus factus, per ordinem ascendens, a sanctae memoriae Leone pontifice in titulo sanctae Susannae, qui et Duas Domos vocatur, presbiter ordinatus est"); during his priesthood he distinguished himself by celebrating mass in various cemeteries: Lib. Pont. 86. 1.

In 687, after the death of pope Conon (Konon 10), the papal election was disputed between Paschalis 1 and Theodoros 167; eventually Sergios 30 was chosen as the compromise candidate ("in personam denominati Sergii, venerabilis tunc presbyteri, concordantes se contulerunt"); he was taken to the oratory of St Caesarius and then to the Lateran palace, where he was acclaimed; he was forced to pay one hundred pounds of gold to the exarchos Ioannes 226 before the latter would allow the consecration to proceed, but he was then consecrated bishop of Rome ("Sergius presbyter et electus in sedem beati Petri apostoli pontifex ordinatus est"): Lib. Pont. 86. 2-5. The statement at Lib. Pont. 86. 2 that he became bishop seven years after becoming priest ("post septennium") must be an error if he became priest under pope Leo 16; the interval was five years.

He refused to put his signature to the Acts of a Church Council (the Quinisext) of 692, in spite of the orders of the emperor Justinian II (Ioustinianos 1), because some of the chapters ("capitula", the canons) were contrary to church practice and unacceptable ("nullatenus adquievit, pro eo quod quaedam capitula extra ritum ecclesiasticum fuerant in eis adnexa"); he said that he preferred to die rather than accept erroneous innovations ("eligens ante mori quam novitatum erroribus consentire"); the emperor (Ioustinianos 1) first sent the magistrianus Sergios 45 to Rome to take back to Constantinople two of the pope's supporters, Ioannes 21 and Bonifatios 2, and then sent the protospatharios Zacharias 15 to Rome to take back the pope himself; the armies of Ravenna and the Pentapolis rallied to the pope's support and advanced on Rome, where Sergios 30 was held prisoner; they entered the city and Zacharias 15 fled for sanctuary under the pope's bed; Sergios 30 promised him his life and went out publicly to the Basilica of pope Theodoros and calmed the troops and the people; Zacharias 15 was nonetheless expelled from the city with insults; it was about this time that Ioustinianos 1 was driven from his throne, and so c. 695: Lib. Pont. 86. 6-9, cf. Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 11 (he refused to subscribe the Council and Ioustinianos 1 sent Zacharias 15 to bring him back from Rome, but the army in Italy prevented it).

He discovered hidden in the treasury of St Peter's a richly jewelled crucifix which thereafter became an object of veneration at the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the Church of the Saviour: Lib. Pont. 86. 10. He carried out adornments and repairs to the Churches of St Peter, St Paul, SS Cosmas and Damian, St Susanna and St Euphemia at Rome, that of St Aurea at Ostia and the oratory of St Andrew the Apostle on the via Labicana, as well as the Church of St Laurentius, the titulus Lucinae: Lib. Pont. 86. 11-14. He also provided gold and silver altarcloths for use in a number of churches: Lib. Pont. 86. 15. He introduced the singing of the Agnus Dei at the Fraction during mass, and decreed processions and litanies on the days of the Annunciation, the Dormition and the Nativity of the Virgin and on the Hypapante, St Simeon's day: Lib. Pont. 86. 14.

Through his warnings and teachings Sergios 30 persuaded the archbishop of Aquileia and his clergy to accept the doctrines of the Fifth Ecumenical Council; they had been detained in Rome during this affair but he then allowed them to go home: Lib. Pont. 86. 15, Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 14. He baptised the Saxon king Cedwal (Ceadwalla 1) and gave him the name Petrus: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 15. Among the bishops whom he ordained are named Damianus of Ravenna (Damianos 10), Bertoaldus of Britain (Bertoald 1) and Clement of the Frisians (Klemens 5): Lib. Pont. 86. 16. He was buried in St Peter's on 8 September 701 ("indictione XIIII, Tiberio Augusto"): Lib. Pont. 86. 16.

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