Victor III
head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1086 to 1087
Feast: 16 September (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Dauferius, of the Lombard dukes of Benevento, fled a marriage arranged for him to become a monk, taking the name Desiderius; he sought ever stricter life and became Abbot of Monte Cassino, which flourished under him.
Elected pope against his will, he long refused and tried to return to his monastery. He died on 16 September 1087 after proposing Odo of Ostia as his successor.
The miracles
In 1727 the Abbot of Monte Cassino obtained permission to keep his feast; there was never a formal cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
A great abbot who accepted the papacy only under pressure.
The cause
The cause continues. No postulation address is published here yet. Favours received through this person’s intercession, and offers of help, are best sent to the religious order or congregation they belonged to, or to the diocese where the cause was opened; either will pass them to the postulation.
Connected on this site
- Bernard of Carinola Saint“He was the confessor of Duke Richard II of Capua, until appointed the Bishop of Forum Claudii in 1087 by Pope Victor III.” — Wikipedia
- Gregory VII Saint“He was the successor of Pope Gregory VII.” — Wikipedia
- Oderisio of Montecassino Saint“Desiderius— later Pope Victor III—was its abbot.” — this site's research
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Pope Blessed Victor III
- Wikidata Q227724 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Pope Victor III (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.