Pope Leo the Great
Leo Magnus
Pope and Theologian · circa 400 AD–461 AD
Who is Pope Leo the Great?
Pope Leo I, known as Leo the Great, led the Roman Catholic Church as its Bishop of Rome from AD 440 until his death in 461, one of only two popes in history to be given the title "the Great." A skilled theologian and administrator, he is best remembered for his Tome to Flavian (Tomus ad Flavianum), a doctrinal letter on the union of Christ's divine and human natures that decisively shaped the Christological definition adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Beyond theology, Leo strengthened the authority and prestige of the papal office during a turbulent period of Western Roman decline, asserting Rome's primacy among the churches of the Christian world. He is also remembered in tradition for meeting Attila the Hun outside Rome in 452 and persuading him to turn his invading army back, an event later immortalized in art, including a famous fresco by Raphael in the Vatican. Leo left behind nearly one hundred sermons and more than one hundred letters, which remain valuable sources for understanding fifth-century Roman Christianity. He was buried in St. Peter's Basilica, and his feast day continues to be observed in the Catholic liturgical calendar.
Sources: Pope Leo the Great, Tomus ad Flavianum (449 AD) · Acts of the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) · Pope Leo the Great, Sermons (Sermones), 5th century AD