The hermit pope who quit the Vatican to save his own soul

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1294, an 80-year-old hermit named Pietro da Morrone was plucked from his mountain cave to lead the Catholic Church. Overwhelmed by political infighting and his own lack of administrative skill, he made the unprecedented decision to abdicate after just five months, sparking centuries of debate over his legacy.

Pietro da Morrone, a Benedictine monk known for his extreme asceticism, was elected Pope Celestine V on July 5, 1294, following a two-year papal vacancy. The College of Cardinals, paralyzed by a bitter rivalry between the Orsini and Colonna families, turned to the hermit after he sent a letter warning them of divine vengeance for their inaction. He initially resisted the appointment, reportedly attempting to flee before finally accepting the crown in L’Aquila.

His brief reign was defined by profound discomfort with the machinery of power. Celestine V moved the papal seat to Naples, where he became heavily reliant on King Charles II, filling the Roman Curia with the king's supporters. Feeling that his administrative duties were a dangerous distraction from his spiritual path, he constructed a monk’s cell within the papal apartment. On December 13, 1294, he issued a papal bull affirming the right of a pope to resign and stepped down, hoping to return to his life of seclusion.

The aftermath was tragic. His successor, Boniface VIII, feared that Celestine might be used as a figurehead for an antipope movement and kept him under close supervision. Celestine was eventually captured while attempting to escape to the Adriatic Sea and was interned in Fumone Castle, where he died in 1296. While Dante famously condemned his resignation as an act of cowardice in the Inferno, later thinkers like Petrarch championed it as a courageous act of humility. Celestine V was eventually canonized in 1313 by Pope Clement V.

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