Pope 255
Pius IX
The 255th pope in the Holy See's list of Supreme Pontiffs, serving as Bishop of Rome from 16, 21.VI.1846 to 7.II.1878. His secular name is listed as Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti. The Holy See lists his birthplace as Senigallia.
Why this pontificate matters
Pius IX bridges the older temporal papacy and the modern papacy. His long pontificate includes Vatican I, the loss of the Papal States, and the sharper modern definition of papal office.
A long bar on the timeline here is historically meaningful, not just visually large.
Modern papal history starts to become global, political, and media-visible in new ways.
Predecessor
- Gregory XVI · succeeded in see · documented
Pius IX follows Gregory XVI as Bishop of Rome in the Holy See's sequential list of Supreme Pontiffs.
Successor
- Leo XIII · succeeded in see · documented
Leo XIII follows Pius IX as Bishop of Rome in the Holy See's sequential list of Supreme Pontiffs.