Friar and Pope
Peter of Tarentaise was born in Savoy around 1224 and as a young man entered the Order at Lyons. He was sent to study at Paris where he took the master’s degree and was given a chair at the university. Together with Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Albert the Great, and two other Dominicans he was commissioned by the General Chapter of 1259 to draw up the first plan of studies for the Order. In 1272 he was named archbishop of Lyons and created cardinal bishop of Ostia. He was one of the outstanding figures at the Council of Lyons where he labored for the restoration of unity between the churches of East and West. In 1276 Peter was elected Pope and took the name Innocent. He died within five months of his election on June 22, 1276.