Abstract

Although the cult of bishop Callixtus I of Rome (217?-222?) is little known today, in antiquity his cult spread rapidly across the Carolingian Francia. Indeed, by the end of the first millennium, Callixtus became one of the more popular Roman martyrs both within and outside Rome. But how did this happen? And, more importantly, why? This contribution aims to answer both these questions by outlining the origins, development, and especially the expansion of Callixtus’ cult North of the Alps. It also sheds light on patterns of distribution of Callixtus’s cult, the interplay between the distribution of his relics and the dissemination of his cult, and the most important mechanisms underlying this spread. Specifically, this contribution argues that a combination of three factors boosted the cult’s quick dissemination: his office as a pope, his demonstrable martyrdom, and the Roman origins of his relics.