Pope Gregory I
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Pope Gregory I “Saint Gregory” redirects herhere.e. For other uses, seesee Saint Saint ther is known about that position. Gregory’s mothermother,, Sil- Gregory (disambiguation).. via, was well-born and had a married sister, Pateria, in Sicily. His mothemotherr and two patepaternalrnal auntauntss are honorehonoredd by Catholic and Orthodox churches as saints.[11] Gre- Pope Gregory I ( (LatinLatin:: Gregorius I ; c. 540 – 12 March [12] [1] gory’gory’ssgreagreat-gret-great-graat-grandfndfatheatherrhadhadbeenbeenPoPopeFelix III,, 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great,, [13] was Pope ffroromm33SeSeptptemembeberr595900totohihissdedeatathhinin60604.4. GrGre-e- the nominee of the Gothic king,king, Theodoric Theodoric.. Gregory’s elelecectitionontoto ththeeththroroneneofofStStPPeteterermamadedehihissffamamililyyththeemomostst gorgoryyisis wewellll knoknownwn fforor hishiswriwritintings,gs, whiwhichchwewerere momorere propro-- [14] lific than those of any of his predecessors as pope.[2] HeHe distinguisdistinguishedhed clerical dynasty of the period. is also known as St. GregGregoryory the DialogDialogistist in in Eastern Eastern The family owned and resided in a villa suburbana onon Christianity because of his Dialogues . For this rreasoeason,n, thethe Caelian Caelian Hill, fronting the same street, now the Via English translations of Eastern texts will sometimes list di San Gregorio, with the former palaces of the Roman him as “Gregory Dialogus”. emperors on thethe Palatine Palatine Hill op oppospositeite.. The nonorthrth of ThrThrououghoghoutut thetheMiMiddlddleeAgAgeseshehewawassknoknownwnasas “th“theeFaFathetherr the street runs into thethe Colosseum Colosseum; the south, thethe Circus Circus Maximus. In GregorGregory’sy’s day the ancienancientt buibuildinldingsgs were of Christian WorshiWorship”p” because of his exceptionaexceptionall effeffortsorts [15] in revising the Roman worship of his day.[3] His contri- in ruins and were privatelprivatelyy owned. Villas covered the areaarea.. GreGregory’gory’ss ffamilamilyy also owneownedd worworkingking estatestateses in butions to the development of thethe Divine Divine Liturgy of the [16] [17] Presanctified Gifts, ststililllininususeeininththeeByzaByzantine Rite, were Sicily and around Rome. Gregory later had por- soso sisignignificficantantthathattheheisis gengeneraerallllyyrecrecognognizeizeddasas itsitsdede ffacactoto traits done in frefrescosco in their formeformerr home on the Caelian author. andandthethesese wewerere dedescrscribeibedd300300yeyearsarslalaterterbybyJohJohn theDea- con. Gordianus was tall with a long face and light eyes. He was the first of the popes to come from aa monasti monasticc He wore a beard.beard. Silvia Silvia was tall, had a round face, blue bacbackgrokground.und. GregGregoryory is aa Doctor Doctor of the Church andand eyeeyess and a cheerfucheerfull look. They had anotheanotherr son whose one of thethe Latin Latin Fathers. He is cconsonsididerereded aa saint saint inin name and fate are unknown.[18] thetheCatholicCatholicChurch,,EasteEasternOrthodoxChurch,,AnglicanAnglican Communion, and somesome Lutheran Lutheran churches. ImImmemedidi-- GreGregorgoryywawassborbornninintoto aapeperiorioddofofuphupheaeavavallininItaItalyly. F. Froromm ately after his death, Gregory was canonized by popular 542 the so-calledso-called Plague Plague of Justinian swept through the acclaim.[4] TheThe Protestant Protestant reformer reformer John John Calvin admired proprovincvinceses of the empire, inclincludinguding ItalItaly.y. The plaguplaguee Gregory and declared in hishis Institutes Institutes that Gregory was caucausedsed famifamine,ne, panic, and somesometimetimess rioting. In some the last good pope.[5] He is the patron saint of musicianmusicians,s, parpartsts ofofthethecocountuntry,ry,ovoverer1/31/3ofofthethepoppopulaulatiotionnwawasswipwipeded singers, students, and teachersteachers..[6] out or destroyed, with heavy spiritual and emotional ef- ffecectsts ononththeepepeopopleleofofththeeEmEmpipirere..[19] Politically, although thethe Western Western Roman Empire had long since vanished in 1 EaEarlrlyy liliffee Italyfavour was of gradually the Gothic retaken kings from of Italy,thethe Goths Goths during by by Justinian Justinianthe 540s I, emperor of thethe Eastern Eastern Roman Empire ruling from The exact date of Gregory’s birth is uncertain, but is usu- Constantinople. As the fighting was mainly in the north, ally estimated to be around the year 540,[7] in the city of the young Gregory probably saw little of it.it. Totila Totila sacked Rome. His parents named him Gregorius , which accord- and vacated Rome in 546, destroying most of its ancient ing toto Aelfric Aelfric in in An Homily on the Birth-Day of S. Gre- population, but in 549 he invited those who were still gory, "... is a Greek Name, which sisignifiesgnifies in the Latin alialiveve to return to the empty and ruinedruined streetsstreets.. It has Tongue Vigilantius , that is in English, Watchful....”[8] been hypothesized that young Gregory and his parents The medieval writers who give this etymology[9] do not retired during that intermission to their Sicilian estates, [20] hehesisitattatee to apapplplyy it to the liflifee of GregGregoryory.. AeAelflfriric,c, to return in 549. TheThe war war was over in Rome by 552, foforr exampexample,le, goes on: “He was very dilidiligentgent in God’s and a subsequent invasion of thethe Franks Franks was defeated in Commandments.”[10] 554. After that, there was peace in Italy, and the appear-appear- ance of restoration, except that the central government Gregory was born into a wealthywealthy patrician patrician Roman fam- now resided in Constantinople. ily with clcloseose conneconnectictionsons to the chuchurchrch.. His fafatherther,, Like most young men of his position in Roman soci- theGordianus, Prefect whoof the served City ofas aRome, Senator[11] andalso for held a timethe posi- was ety, Saint Gregory was well educated, learning grammar, tion ofof Regionarius Regionarius in the church, though nothing fur- rhetoric, the sciences, literature, and law, and excelling in 11 22 3 APOCRIAPOCRISIARSIARIAIATETE (579–585) all.all.[11] Gregory of Tours reported that “in grammar, di- to stealing three gold pieces. Gregory foforcedrced the monk to alectic and rhetoric ... he was second to none....”[21] HeHe die friendless and alone, then threw his body and coins on wrote correct Latin but did not read or write Greek. He aamamanunurereheheapaptoto rorottwiwithth aacucursrsee,, “T“Takakeeyoyoururmomoneneyywiwithth knew Latin authors, natural science, history, mathemat- you to perdition”. Gregory belibelievedeved that punishpunishmentment of ics and music and had such a “fluency with imperial law” sins can begin, even on one’s deathbed.[25] However, this that he may have trained in it “as a preparation for a ca- wawassdodonenetotohehelplpththeemomonknktoto rerepepentnt ofofhihisssisin,n, ananddnonott ououtt reer in public life.”[21] Indeed, he became a government of a misplaced anger. The penance from St Gregory did official, advancing quickly in rank to become, like his fa- in fact help him to repent, and afterwards St GregoGregoryry of- ther, PrefPrefectect of Rome, the highest civil office in the city, fered 30 Masses in his remembrance toto assist assist his soulsoul be- [11] when only thirty-three years old. fore thethe final final judgment. He later appeared to his brother[26] The monks of the Monastery of St. AndrewAndrew,, establisheestablishedd and said that he has been released and is in Heaven. by Gregory at the ancestral home on the Caelian, had a Eventually,Eventually, Pope Pope Pelagius II ordained him aa deacon deacon and porportratraitit ofof himhimmadmadeeafafterterhihissdedeathath,, whwhicichhJohJohnnthetheDeDea-a- solicisolicitedted his help in trying to heal thethe schism schism of the Three Chapters in in northern northern Italy. However, Italy was not healed con also saw in the 9th century. He reports the picpictureture of [27] a man who was “rather bald” and had a “tawny” beard until well after Gregory was gone. like his father’s and a face that was intermediate in shape GregGregoryory had a deep resrespecpectt for the monastmonasticic liflife.e. HeHe between his mother’s and ffather’s.ather’s. The hair that he had viewed being a monk as the 'ardent quest for the vision on the sides was long and carefcarefullyully curled. His nose was of our Creator.'[28] His three paternal aunts were nuns “thin and straight” and “slightly aquiline.” “His forforeheadehead renownrenowneded for their sanctity. HoweHowever,ver, after the two el- was high.” He had thick, “subdi“subdivided”vided” lips and a chin “of dest passed away after seeing a vision of their ancestor a comely prominence” and “beautiful hands.”[22] Pope Felix, the youngest soon abandoned the religious In the modern era, Gregory is often depicted as a man life and married the steward of her estate. Gregory’s re- sponse to this family scandal was “many are called but at the border, poised between the Roman and Germanic [29] worlds, between East and West, and above all, perhaps, few are chosen.” Gregory’s mothermother Silvia Silvia herself is a between the ancient and medieval epochs.[23] saint.. 2 MoMonanaststiicc yeyearsars 3 ApoApocricrisisiariariateate (579(579–585–585)) Jerome and Gregory. On his father’s death, Gregory converted his family villa into aa monastery monastery dedicated to thethe apostle apostle Saint Andrew (af(afterterhishisdedeathathititwawassredredediedicacatedtedasasSanSanGregorioMagno al Celio).