ARSENIO

ARSENIO. - Bishop of Orte, who lived in Rome in the 9th century and died at Benevento. Before entering the clergy he was married and had two sons, Anastasius the Librarian and Eleutherius. He strongly supported the imperialist party, thereby furthering the vain ambitions of his son Anastasius, who wished to become pope, and stood by him even when the latter attempted to seize the Vatican by force at the death of Benedict III. Under Nicholas I he became an apocrisiary, and in that capacity seems to have been in France. He was appointed imperial vicar at Rome. His power, already considerable under Nicholas I, increased under Adrian II, but as a result of a new intrigue, this time on behalf of his son Eleutherius, he was forced to flee to Benevento.