Pope Pius IV issued a Papal bull confirming the decrees of the Council of Trent that defined Catholic doctrine in the face of the Protestant Reformation.
Pope Julius II laid the cornerstone of the current St. Peter’s Basilica, one of Catholicism’s most sacred buildings.
Pope Pius V issued the Papal bull Regnans in Excelsis which excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England for heresy.
The shortest papacy in history ended after just twelve days following the death of Pope Urban VII, shortly after he introduced Europe’s first smoking ban.
Born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, Pius IX’s election by the Papal conclave of 1846 came at a time of significant political unrest across Europe.
Antipope John XXIII made the Medici Bank the official bank of the Papacy.
The Parliament of England passed the First Act of Supremacy which made Henry VIII the head of the Church of England.
The public saw the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for the first time when Pope Julius II celebrated All Saints Day mass.
11th November 2020
1st September 2018
9th November 2019
