The First 32 Popes: From Fisherman to Emperor’s Palace - Part 1

Beneath St Peter's Basilica lies a red plaster wall scratched with ancient graffiti. From that wall runs a line of 267 men. This is the story of the first 32 — from Peter the fisherman to the day an emperor handed the Church a palace. Slaves and scholars, martyrs and rivals: Callixtus, the former slave who ran a failed bank. Pontian and Hippolytus, rival bishops sent to die side by side in the mines of Sardinia. Sixtus II, beheaded mid-sermon in a catacomb. And the moment in 312 when everything changed. This series separates what is historically documented from what is tradition or later legend — on screen, as the story goes. Dates before about AD 200 are traditional reconstructions, and many historians question whether early Rome had a single bishop at all. Both views are presented. Part 1 of a 10-part series covering every pope from Peter to Leo XIV. #Popes #ChurchHistory #CatholicHistory