HILARY, SAINT

born , Sardinia died Feb. 29, 468, ; feast day February 28 Latin Hilarius pope from 461 to 468. As Pope St. Leo I's legate to the so-called robber synod of Ephesus (449), he opposed the deposition of Patriarch Flavian of Constantinople, whose dying appeal to Rome evoked the celebrated Tome of Leo. The work condemned Eutychianism, a heresy that held that the human aspect of Christ's nature was subsumed by his divinity. After supporting Flavian, Hilary fled to Rome, where he was elected Leo's successor. His letters show him as a wise and zealous administrator, correcting abuses and solving disputes submitted from southern Gaul and Spain. His synod of 465 is the oldest Roman synod of which the acts survive.