Pope Sixtus III, also calledPope Xystus III, was thebishop of Rome from 31 July 432 to his death on 18 August 440. His ascension to the papacy is associated with a period of increased construction in the city ofRome. His feast day is celebrated by theCatholic Church andEastern Orthodox Church on 28 March.[1][2]
Sixtus was born in Rome and before his accession he was prominent among the Roman clergy,[1] and frequently corresponded withAugustine of Hippo.[3] According to Peter Brown, before beingmade pope, Sixtus was a patron ofPelagius, who was later condemned as a heretic,[4] althoughAlban Butler disagrees and attributes the charge to Garnier. Nicholas Weber also disputes this, "...it was probably owing to his conciliatory disposition that he was falsely accused of leanings towards these heresies."[1]
His name is often connected with a great building boom inRome:Santa Sabina on theAventine Hill was dedicated during his pontificate. He built the Liberian Basilica asSanta Maria Maggiore, whose dedication toMary the Mother of God reflected his acceptance of theEcumenical council ofEphesus which closed in 431. At that council, the debate over Christ's human and divine natures turned on whether Mary could legitimately be called the "Mother of God" or only "Mother of Christ". The council gave her the Greek titleTheotokos (literally "God-bearer", or "Mother of God"), and the dedication of the large church in Rome is a response to that.
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