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From The Lives of the Popes from the Time of our Saviour Jesus Christ to the Accession of Gregory VII. Written Originally in Latin by B. Platina, Native of Cremona, and translated into English (from an anonymous translation, first printed in 1685 by Sir Paul Rycaut), Edited by William Benham, Volume I, London: Griffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh, [1888, undated in text]; pp. 235-236.

The Lives of the Popes,
BY
B. Platina

Volume I.


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[235]

STEPHEN  VI.

A.D. 885-891.

STEPHEN the Sixth, a Roman, son of one Hadrian, of the Via Lata, was made Pope at the time when the Normans, assisted by the Danes, contrary to their treaties, had well-nigh overrun all France. For fear of these invaders the body of St Martin was carried from Tours to Auxerre, and placed in the church of St German; which begot a feud among the monks, who could not agree by the name of which of the two saints the church should be called. To solve this doubt, they took this way: They set a leper in the midst between the two saints’ bodies, who grew whole only on that side which was towards St Martin, and then turning the other side towards him, he was quite healed. This miracle determined the controversy, which St German is thought to have suffered his new guest to perform, lest it should be thought that the body had lost any of its sanctity by being translated. Authors say that during this Pope’s time Charles the Gross, who had been emperor twelve years, was deposed by his nobles for his sloth and dulness, and Arnulphus, his nephew, was set up in his stead, who was the seventh emperor from Charles the Great. This troublesome state of things tempted the Huns, a Scythian nation (according to Vincentius and Martinus), to make a decent into Pannonia, where, joining their brother-tribe, the Hungari, they possessed themselves of the country, driving thence the Gepidi and Avares: and from hence marching with their forces into Germany, they pierced as far as Burgundy, destroying all with fire and sword. Stephen, in this confusion of affairs, was yet not a little comforted with the sanctity of Luithprandus, deacon of Pavia, Waldrad of Bavaria, and Bernard of Picardy, by whose lives and conversation the Christian religion got so great reverence that many monasteries and churches were sumptuously built throughout France. In the sixth year and 236 eleventh day of his papacy, he died, and the see was vacant five days.

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Previous Pope: 112. Hadrian III. 113. Stephen VI. Next Pope: 114. Formosus.

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