Who he was
Simplicius was the son of Castinus, a citizen of Tivoli, according to the Liber Pontificalis. He was elected without difficulty in 468, and during his fifteen years as pope the Western Roman Empire came to an end, when Odoacer deposed the last emperor in 476.
What he is remembered for
He defended the Council of Chalcedon and the authority of the Roman see against Monophysite pressure from the emperors at Constantinople, and refused to approve the canon that raised Constantinople to near-equality with Rome. In Rome he dedicated San Stefano Rotondo and the church of St Balbina, both still standing, and arranged for the clergy to serve the great basilicas outside the walls. He is remembered chiefly by historians of the period.
He is honoured by the Church as Saint. Read his page in the dictionary of saints.
Sources
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