Pope Saint Hilary lived in the 5th century and was the Bishop of Rome between 461 and 468. Little is known of his early life apart from that he was from Sardinia. He became archdeacon during Pope Saint Leo the Great pontificate and worked closely with him as an aid. He was sent as a papal legate to the Council of Ephesus in 449 where he fought against the monophysite heresy. His life was threatened because of this and he was forced to hide and he fled back to Rome. After Pope Leo’s death, he was elected as pope. As pope, Saint Hilary affirmed the rights of the papacy in spiritual matters, fighting against the Roman Emperor and sought the organisation and disciplining of the bishops of the Holy See. He worked to build and remodelled the Roman churches and public places, decorating them.
