St. Sylvester

Pope St. Sylvester was born in 285 and became pope in 314. He was thus the first pope to have his entire papacy be after the Edict of Milan in 313, when Emperor Constantine established the toleration of Christianity. Very little is confidently historically known about Pope St. Sylvester, but many important events took place during his pontificate. The First Council of Nicaea occurred in 325, and helped define Church teachings, and produced the Nicene Creed. In addition, because of the Edict of Milan, construction began on many large churches. In the time when St. Sylvester was Pope, Old St. Peter’s Basilica, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls were all constructed, among many more. Because his feast day falls on New Year’s Eve, some countries refer to New Year’s Eve as Silvester in honor of Pope St. Sylvester’s feast day.