The Little Story: The Pope Who Was Judged After His Death (897) ⚖️💀
Among the most macabre events in history, the "Synod of the Corpse" in 897 stands out for its absurdity and cruelty. Imagine a trial where the accused is... already dead. This is exactly what happened in Rome, where the body of Pope Formosus was exhumed and judged several months after his death.
Pope Formosus, who had been elected in 891, was a controversial figure in a period of great political and religious conflict. After his death, his successor, Pope Stephen VI, harboring a fierce hatred for him, decided to have him tried for allegedly usurping the papal throne.
But this trial was anything but ordinary. Formosus's corpse was exhumed, dressed in papal robes, and placed on a throne to appear before the tribunal. A deacon was even appointed to "speak" in his place and answer the accusations. The judgment? Guilty! 🏛️⚖️
In a scene as macabre as it was grotesque, the corpse was then degraded of its titles, its three fingers of blessing cut off, and its body was thrown into the Tiber. Far from calming tensions, this strange act provoked a scandal that marked the history of the Church.
The "Synod of the Corpse" has remained one of the darkest and most unusual episodes in papal history, illustrating how hatred and vengeance can lead to unimaginable acts, even beyond death. 😮
📸 Illustration:
Jean-Paul Laurens, Pope Formosus and Stephen VI (1870)
#LaPtiteHistoire #SynodeOfTheCorpse #UnusualHistory #MedievalHistory #DetectorWorkshop
