Antipope John XVI
John XVI. (* Rossano; ? † 1001 ( ) in Rome), with the secular name John Philagathos (Greek Ἰωάννης Φιλάγαθος ), was from 997-998 Anti-Pope to Pope Gregory V. John was a teacher of Emperor Otto III. . and Gregory V.
John was from the time the Eastern Roman Empire gehörendem Rossano. He was Greek and Theophano, the Greek wife of Otto II, was brought to the Saxon court. Libel According to the Empress and her advisers should have maintained an adulterous relationship. Between 980 and 982 as well as in the years 991 and 992, he served as imperial chancellor in Italy. In addition, he had been abbot of Nonantola 982 and 988 since Archbishop Piacenza.
He was of Otto III. sent together with the Bishop of Würzburg Bernward to Byzantium, to find a bride for him there. On the return, John was - apparently completely misjudged in the assessment of the situation - turning from Crescentius I. Nomentanus and use them as pope. This prompted Otto 998 to a Romfeldzug. Before his arrival, Pope John fled into the Campagna. In a tower he was discovered, horrible disfigured and taken to Rome. The emperor had the former teacher of Pope Gregory V without eyes, ears, nose and tongue, but wrapped in papal vestments upside down on a donkey sitting with a hollowed-out cow's udder as a hat in a Schandprozession by Rome and by order of Pope Gregory before a synod lead. There Antipope John was formally deposed. After the deposition was led back to the unfortunate donkey riding through the howling crowd. Then the mutilated was deported to a monastery, where he died after three years.
Neither the emperor nor the pope wore a debt to the mutilation of the papal opponent. But that commanded by the Pope drama then in Rome was a shame for both. Emperor Otto had his life surrounded by saints. Before the spectacle in Rome now seemed almost ninety years of holy hermit Nilus of Rossano, who had a year earlier warned the anti-pope against excessive ambition, and pleaded with the Emperor and the Pope for mercy for the fallen man. When both refused him this, the indignant saint threatened, according to the judgment of God.
After John was deposed Gregory V, a cousin of Otto III. , Again the undisputed Pontifex Maximus. On the other hand, the Crescentii had not given up.