Pope 37
Damasus I
The 37th pope in the Holy See's list of Supreme Pontiffs, serving as Bishop of Rome from 1.X.366 to 11.XII.384. The Holy See lists his birthplace as Rome.
Why this pontificate matters
Damasus stands where Roman memory, Latin Christian culture, and public authority begin to look recognizably papal. His era shows the church no longer surviving at the edge of empire, but organizing doctrine, Scripture, and commemoration in a Christian imperial world.
Notice the shift from persecuted minority memory to public Christian patronage.
This is a good bridge from the early lists into the Latin West.
Predecessor
- Liberius · succeeded in see · documented
Damasus I follows Liberius as Bishop of Rome in the Holy See's sequential list of Supreme Pontiffs.
Successor
- Siricius · succeeded in see · documented
Siricius follows Damasus I as Bishop of Rome in the Holy See's sequential list of Supreme Pontiffs.