E01678: The short Life of *Leo II (bishop of Rome, ob. 683, S00875) in the Liber Pontificalis, written in Latin in Rome soon after his death, records his building of a church of *Paul (the Apostle, S00008), close to the church of *Bibiana (martyr of Rome under the emperor Julian, S00728); his translation there of the bodies of the martyrs *Simplicius, Faustinus, and Beatrix (martyrs of Rome, S00886); and his burial at the church of *Peter (the Apostle, S00036) on 3 July. Some manuscripts also attribute to Leo II the building of the church of *Sebastianus (martyr of Rome, S00400) and *George (soldier and martyr, S00259) at the Velabro.

Liber Pontificalis 82

Leo iunior, natione Sicula, de patre Paulo, sedit mens. X dies XVII. Vir eloquentissimus, in divinis scripturis sufficienter instructus, greca latinaque lingua eruditus, cantelena ac psalmodia praecipuus et in earum sensibus subtilissima exercitatione limatus; lingua quoque scolasticus et eloquendi maiore lectione politam, exortator omnium bonorum operum plebique florentissime ingerebat scientiam, paupertatis amator et erga inopem provisione non solum mentis pietate, sed et studii sui labore sollicitus.

'Leo the younger, born in Sicily, son of Paulus, held the see 10 months 17 days. He was a man of great eloquence, competently versed in holy scripture, proficient in Greek and Latin, and distinguished for his chanting and psalmody, which he interpreted elegantly and with the most sensitive and subtle touches. In speech too he was a man of education and refined in his choice of the lofty style. He gave encouragement to all good works and inspired a great flowering of knowledge among the people. He loved the poor, and was concerned to look after the destitute not merely with dutiful attention but through his own hard work and toil.'

....

Hic fecit ecclesiam in urbe Roma iuxta sancta Viviana, ubi et corpora sanctorum Simplici, Faustini, Beatricis atque aliorum martyrum recondidit, et ad nomen beati Pauli apostoli dedicavit sub die XXII mens. Februar., ubi et dona obtulit.

'He built a church in Rome close to saint Bibiana’s, where he deposited the bodies of saints Simplicius, Faustinus, Beatrix, and other martyrs, and dedicated it in the name of the blessed Paul the apostle on 22nd day of February; and
there he presented gifts. '

.....

Qui etiam sepultus est ad beatum Petrum apostolum sub die V non. Iul.

'He was buried at the blessed Peter the apostle on 3 July.'


Text: Duchesne 1886, 359-360. Translation: Davis 2010, 76-77, lightly modified.

The passage in brackets, <>, is an interpolation, recorded in only some manuscripts of the Liber Pontificalis; it is uncertain when it was added to the text.