A 17th Century illustration of Pope Soter, who was pontiff from AD166 to AD174. He was the twelfth pope. He decreed that marriage was valid as a sacrament only when blessed by a priest and formally inaugurated Easter as an annual festival in Rome. His name comes from the Greek for saviour.

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Size: 2222px × 3000px
Photo credit: © CBW / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: catholic, catholicism, century, christian, christianity, church, early, head, leader, leaders, pontiff, pontiffs, pope, popes, roman, saint, soter, spiritual