Pope Leo XII

About Pope Leo XII

Pope Leo XII, born Annibale della Genga in 1760, served as the head of the Catholic Church from 1823 until his death in 1829. His papacy was marked by a staunchly conservative stance, continuing the reactionary policies of his predecessor, Pius VII, in the post-Napoleonic era. Key actions included publishing the encyclical Quo gravius, which restricted the rights of non-Catholics in some areas, and actively promoting the re-establishment of religious orders that had been suppressed during the French Revolution. These efforts to restore traditional ecclesiastical authority solidify his #508 rank on the Historical Popularity Index.

Despite this historical significance as a major religious figure, Pope Leo XII experiences a notable 'Attention Gap' online. With only 168K annualized Wikipedia views in 2025, he is significantly under-attended relative to his importance, showing a -2x gap. For perspective, this is less than one-third the attention given to Anthony the Great (#577 importance, 270K views), another religious figure who ranks lower historically. Furthermore, his views are dwarfed by contemporary figures like Stanley Kubrick (#957 importance), who garnered 2.4 million views in the same period.

Interestingly, Pope Leo XII's modern digital interest is not entirely dormant. His 2025 views showed a dramatic year-over-year increase of +358.7%, suggesting a recent spike in searches or renewed academic/popular interest, though this momentum slowed in the latter half of the year, with a -16% dip between Q1 and Q3.