Deusdedit of San Lorenzo in Damaso


Deusdedit was the cardinal-priest of San Lorenzo in Damaso from 1116 until his death. He was named a cardinal by Pope Paschal II. Nothing is known of his life before he was a cardinal.
On 24 January 1118, Deusdedit took part in the Papal election of Gelasius II, which took place in a monastery on the Palatine Hill. This election provoked unrest in Rome, and Gelasius fled to the abbey of Cluny in France. He sent Deusdedit on a mission to Spain, which is where the cardinal was when the pope died at Cluny. He was unable therefore take part in the election of Calixtus II on 2 February 1119.
In 1120, Deusdedit accompanied the pope in Italy. His signature appears only sporadically in papal documents prior to 1121, but after that it appears frequently. He was back in Spain between December 1123 and June 1124, continuing efforts to reform the clergy and resolve questions left unsettled after the legation of Cardinal Boso of Sant'Anastasia. In Spain he enjoyed good relations with Archbishop Diego Gelmírez, who made him a canon and cardinal-priest of the cathedral of Compostela.
On 31 March 1123, Deusdedit took part in an early consistory during the synod of Reims. He continued with the Roman curia during the pontificate of Honorius II, but after 1124 his signature only appears on the odd Papal letter. He signed for the last time in the spring of 1129, and he was dead before the disputed election of 1130.