Of Greek origin, Zacharias 16 was the son of Polychronios 5: Lib. Pont. 93. 1 ("natione Grecus, ex patre Polichronio"). Zacharius (Zacharias 16) became bishop of Rome in succession to pope Gregory III (Gregorios 7) and occupied the see for ten years three months and fifteen days: Lib. Pont. 93. 1, 93. 4. He was bishop of Rome from 741 to 752. When Zacharias 16 became pope (in December 741) the Lombards under king Liutprand 1 were preparing to attack the ducatus of Rome; Zacharias 16 sent an embassy and persuaded the king to abandon his plans and to promise the return of certain cities recently seized by the Lombards; shortly afterwards the Lombards mounted an expedition jointly with troops from Rome against the dux of Spoletium (cf. Trasimund 3): Lib. Pont. 93. 5.

Liutprand 1 delayed the fulfilment of his promise and Zacharias 16 in person, accompanied by bishops and clergy, set out to visit him at Interamna; from Horta he was escorted by Grimoald 2 to Narnia, where a welcoming party of Lombard duces and soldiers met him and escorted him to Interamna, where he was greeted by Liutprand 1; Zacharias 16 persuaded Liutprand 1 to restore the four cities seized by the Lombards, and the king also agreed to restore certain estates formerly part of the papal patrimonium ("Savinense patrimonium, qui per annos prope XXX fuerat abstultum, atque Narniensem etiam et Ausimanum, atque Anconitanum necnon et Humanatem, et vallem qui vocatur Magna, sitam in territorio Sutrino"), to enter into a peace agreement for twenty years with the ducatus Romanus and to release all his Roman prisoners ("quos detenebat ex diversis provinciis Romanis") to the pope: Lib. Pont. 93. 6-9. At Interamna Zacharias 16 consecrated Anonymus 242 as bishop in succession to Anonymus 241, in the presence of Liutprand 1: Lib. Pont. 93. 10.

Afterwards Zacharias 16 returned to Rome, escorted by Agiprand 1, Tacipert 1, Ramning 1 and Grimoald 2, who were authorised to restore to him the four captured cities of Ameria, Horta, Polymartium and Blera as they passed through them; he returned to Rome to general rejoicing: Lib. Pont. 93. 11. This all occurred in 742, before the end of August (in the tenth indiction): Lib. Pont. 93. 12.

During the following indiction (742/743) (in the spring and summer, see below), Zacharias 16 was involved in negotiations with Liutprand 1 over Ravenna and the adjacent territory of Caesena, which the Lombards had seized; Liutprand 1 had attacked Ravenna and the exarch Eutychius (Eutychios 4), the archbishop John (Ioannes 61) and the people asked the pope to intervene; he sent an embassy (see Benediktos 5 and Ambrosios 1) asking the king to restore Caesena; he refused and so Zacharias 16 set out himself, leaving Rome in the charge of the dux Stephanus (Stephanos 77); he went first to Ravenna, being met en route at Aquila by the exarch and citizens of Ravenna, and then, from Ravenna sending ahead Stephanos 78 and Ambrosios 1 to announce his approach, he travelled to meet Liutprand 1 in Ticinum, reaching the river Po on 28 June (743) and entering the city; on the next day (29 June) he celebrated the Feast of St Peter there, at the king's request; he then persuaded Liutprand 1 to restore to Ravenna the territories belonging to it that he had seized, apart from Caesena, of which the king returned only two thirds, the other third being his as security by agreement until his envoys returned from Constantinople on 1 June (i.e. in 744); Zacharias 16 was then escorted as far as the Po by Liutprand 1 and sent on his way with an escort and representatives who were to deliver to him the captured territories as agreed: Lib. Pont. 93. 12-16.

Zacharias 16 then returned to Rome, where he celebrated again ("denuo") the Feast of St Peter; he prayed to God for help against Liutprand 1 and shortly afterwards the Lombard king died; his successor, Hildeprand 1, was quickly deposed and with the next king, Ratchis 1, Zacharias 16 made a peace for twenty years: Lib. Pont. 93. 17. He sent to Constantinople his synodical letter; when the messenger arrived, the city was held by the rebel Artabasdos 1; the pope's envoy was still there when Constantine V (Konstantinos 7) regained his throne, and the emperor allowed him to return to Rome and also granted the request of Zacharias 16 that certain publicly owned estates, Ninfa and Norma (in Campania), be transferred to the ownership of the church of Rome: Lib. Pont. 93. 20.

Zacharias 16 ordained the Frankish ruler Carloman (Karoulomannos 1) to the priesthood: Lib. Pont. 93. 21. The date was 747, according to the Continuator of Fredegarius (s.a. 747). Zacharias 16 prevented the sale of Christian slaves to Muslims in Africa, purchasing them from the traders and setting them free: Lib. Pont. 93. 22. He paid the Lombard king Ratchis 1 to abandon the siege of Perusia and then persuaded him to abandon the throne, become a priest and with his wife and children assume the monastic habit: Lib. Pont. 93. 23.

In the Lateran palace he built and decorated a triclinium in front of the basilica of pope Theodorus; he also decorated with icons the oratory and portico of St Silvester, and had all his own property ("suam substantiam omnem") transferred there by Ambrosios 1; he also built in front of the Lateran scrinium a portico and tower, which he decorated with an image of the Saviour, and on the tower another triclinium, which he adorned with a representation of the world and with verses; he found the Lateran palace generally decayed and did much to restore it: Lib. Pont. 93. 18. He installed silken hangings in the Church of St Peter and St Paul, and in St Peter's he put all the codices from his own home that were needed for reading at matins throughout the year; he established the domusculta Lauretum and endowed it with an estate (the massa Fontiiana, "qui cognominatur Paunaria"); he set aside twenty pounds of gold for the purchase each year of oil for lights in the Churches of the Apostles; he gave to St Peter's an altarcloth woven with gold and decorated with precious stones, adorned with an image of the Nativity, as well as silken hangings, and had a crown made of silver, weighing 120 pounds and decorated with dolphins: Lib. Pont. 93. 19. He also made an altarcloth for the altar of St Andrew at St Peter's: Lib. Pont. 93. 26. He repaired the roof of the titulus of St Eusebius, which had suddenly collapsed: Lib. Pont. 93. 27. He established the domusculta of St Caecilia on property donated to the church by Theodoros 169 on the Via Tiburtina five miles from Rome and assigned it to his own use (as pope) ("quam videlicet domumcultam usui proprio, dominicae videlicet rationis, descripsit"): Lib. Pont. 93. 25. He established other domuscultae, one fourteen miles from Rome on lands donated by Anna 4, and others at Antium and Formiae, and decreed that all the domuscultae should for ever remain the property of the Church: Lib. Pont. 93. 26.

He gave assistance to Petronax 1 when the latter restored the monastery of Monte Cassino, sending copies of the scriptures and other books including the original manuscript of the rule of St Benedict: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 40. He discovered the head of St George, contained in a casket and identified by a document ("pittacium") written in Greek; he had it placed with solemn ceremony in the church of St George at Velum aureum in Rome (St George in Velabro), where it produced many miracles: Lib. Pont. 93. 24. He translated into Greek the Dialogues of Gregory the Great: Lib. Pont. 93. 29 ("hic beatissimus papa suo prudentissimo studio quos beatae recordationis Gregorius papa fecit quattuor Dialogorum libros de latino in greco translatavit eloquio et plures qui latinam ignorant lectionem per eorum inluminavit lectionum historiam"). He was buried in St Peter's on 15 March 752 (indiction five): Lib. Pont. 93. 29 (later recension only). He died and was very briefly succeeded by the priest Stephanos 81 (pope Stephen II): Lib. Pont. 94. 2 ("defuncto vero beatae memoriae domno Zacharia papa").

In character he was gentle and pleasant, full of good qualities, devoted to the clergy and people of Rome, slow to anger and swift to pity, never repaying evil with evil nor imposing the full punishment due; he was pious and merciful; from the time of his ordination he always returned good for evil, even to those who had previously done him wrong, and even promoted them to honours and enriched them: Lib. Pont. 93. 1. He arranged the regular distribution of alms to the poor and to pilgrims at St Peter' s and to the poor and sick throughout Rome: Lib. Pont. 93. 27. Said to have appealed to Charles Martel (Karoulos 2) for help against the Lombards (wrongly, since Charles was dead before Zacharias became pope): Lib. Pont. 94. 15. He ordained as deacons two brothers who were both subsequently bishops of Rome, Stephen III (II) (Stephanos 8) and Paul (Paulos 49): Lib. Pont. 94. 1, 95. 1. He also furthered the career of another successor, Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84), transferring him from the monastery of Chrysogonus into his service in the Lateran palace and retaining him there even after making him a priest: Lib. Pont. 96. 1.

A native of Athens, Zacharias 16 was bishop of Rome when Narses 6 was sent by Eirene 1 to govern Beneventum: Const. Porph., DAI 27, 15ff. (ὁ πάπας Ἀθηναῖος). This is very confused; Narses lived in the sixth century and Eirene at the end of the eighth.

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