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38th Roman Pontiff
St Siricius
SIRICIVS
37th Successor of St Peter · 384–399 · Rome · b. Rome, Italy, Roman Empire
384
Elected
399
Reign ended
15 years
Length
4th
Century
The Life
Roman citizen. Feast day 26 November.
His famous letters—the earliest surviving texts of papal decretals—were focused particularly on religious discipline and include decisions on baptism, consecration, ordination, penance, and continence. Siricius's important decretal of 386 (written to Bishop Himerius of Tarragona), commanding celibacy for priests, was the first decree on this subject.
Portrait: Master of the Altarpiece of Santa Auta / Wikimedia Commons