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Pope Saint Gregory I Pope Saint Gregory I Pope and Doctor of the Church The Western Roman Empire had been dissolved monastery dedicated to Andrew the Apostle, where he in 476 leaving Rome in the control of Theodoric the became a monk and operated as prior. Great. Rome and much of Italy for a time after, would be Some time afterward, Pope Pelagius II ordained occupied by Roman Chalcedonian Christians along with Gregory a deacon and enlisted him to help heal the Three the occupying Gothic Arian Christians. Unlike the Chapter schism which was still active and nearly as old as Vandals and the earlier Visigoths, these Gothic Arians Gregory himself. Although he bemoaned leaving the were considerably more tolerant of Trinitarian monastic life, Gregory made one of the monks, Christianity. Augustine, prior of Saint Andrew. Despite Gregory’s In 535, the Byzantine Empire launched a efforts however, little was accomplished. Later in 578, campaign against the Goths. In 536, General Flavius Pelagius II sent Gregory as part of a delegation to Belisarius managed to recapture Rome after roughly 59 Constantinole to ask for military aid against the invading years of Gothic rule. In 540 AD, a mere 4 years after their Lombards. liberation from the Goths, a Roman Senator named Due to Byzantine forces being engaged in the Gordianus Anichus and his wife Silvia, had a son whom East this endeavor failed, but in 579, Gregory was he named Gregorius. Gordianus was at one time the appointed as apocrisiarius to Pope Pelagius II, a very high Prefect of the City of Rome and held a position in the diplomatic office. Gregory was already in ill favor of the Church. A few years after Gregory’s birth, in 543 AD, an court due to his writings against John III Scholasticus imperial decree was issued accompanied by the Tome of regarding his legitimacy as the Patriarch of Pope Leo I. There were still Christian writers at this time, Constantinople and during his time as apocrisiarius, but who rejected the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon of despite this, Gregory became well liked by the upper 451 AD which had taken place nearly 100 years class, being considered a spiritual father to many of the previously. This decree was meant to reconcile those who people of Constantinople. While he worked to gain relief had rejected this council, but instead resulted in the for Italy from the Lombard invasion, he had little success. beginning of the Three-Chapter schism. Instead, Gregory would become embroiled in a Around this time, a serious plague swept through heated dispute with Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople Italy, killing roughly one third of the population. While about the corporal nature of Jesus after the resurrection. the Western Roman Empire had been wiped out for over As a result, Emperor Tiberius II ordered Eutychius’s half a century, Italy was gradually being retaken from the works burned. Shortly after, Gregory and Eutychius Goth’s by the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I, ruling became ill, with Gregory recovering while Eutychius from Constantinople. However, in 546, the Ostrogoth passed away. Gregory left Constantinope in 585 and King Totila besieged the city of Rome, and Gregory’s returned to his monastery. In 590 AD, Pope Pelagius II family fled the city, leaving for their estate in Sicily. King died from the plague in Rome and Gregory was elected Totila emptied and sacked the city of Rome, tearing down Pope in his place. a third of the defensive walls. He left a small contingency Within two years of his election, Gregory’s there while he continued to fight around Italy. In 547 mother Silvia would pass away. Pope Gregory Belisarius retook Rome, and hastily rebuilt the walls, but appreciated the office of Pope as much as he had the office did not pursue King Totila’s forces. of apocrisiarius, wishing to return to his monastic life. In Sicily, Gregory was well educated, in large Despite this, he re-energized the missionary work among part due to the efforts of his mother Silvia. Gregory non-Christians of Europe, sending a mission to England excelled in his education and was considered to be second under Augustine who he had left as prior of the monastery to none in his achievements. He had a great love for the of Saint Andrew. He consecrated Augustine as the first Church, and developed a deep respect of the monastic life, Archbishop of Canterbury in 597 with the task of especially the vow of poverty. In 549, King Totila evangelizing the Anglo-Saxons who resided there. besieged and captured Rome once again, finally inviting Gregory I issued many liturgical reforms to the Pre- the surviving residents of Rome to re-occupy the Tridentine Mass, and promoted spiritual singing which abandoned city. Gregory and his family accepted this today bears his name as Gregorian Chant. invite, returning to Rome. Pope Gregory I died in the year 604 AD, and was Gregory continued his studies, becoming a acclaimed a Saint shortly after his death. He is the patron government official, raising quickly through the ranks to of Musicians, singers, students and teachers, and his feast become the Prefect of Rome as his father had been before day is September 3rd. His mother, also a saint has a feast him, gaining the office at the age of 33 in 573. When his day of November 5th. father passed away, he converted his family villa into a .
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