Pope Leo IV (790-17 July 855) was the Pope from 847 to 855, succeeding Pope Sergius II and preceding Pope Benedict III.
Biography[]
Leo was born in 790 AD in Rome, and in 847 AD he was unanimously chosen by the nobles to succeed Pope Sergius II. His reign mainly consisted of efforts to repair damage done to Rome by the Saracens in 846 AD, and from 848-849 he built new walls at the city of Gaeta (under siege from the Saracens). In 849 AD he ordered a league of Naples, Gaeta, and Amalfi and gave command of the fleet to Caesar of Naples, who defeated the Saracen army of the Sawdanid Emirate at the Battle of Ostia, a battle still remembered today. Leo gave thanks to God in prayers for causing a storm that destroyed the Arab fleet, and he performed a miracle when the fire in the Borgo pilgrims' district of Rome was stopped when Leo made the sign of the cross. Leo built the Leonine City of Rome to defend the city from further Saracen attacks, and he repaired the basilicas that were damaged by the Muslims. He died in 855, and Pope Benedict III succeeded him.
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