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Gregory I

Pope and Doctor of the

The Western had been dissolved dedicated to , where he in 476 leaving in the control of Theodoric the became a and operated as . Great. Rome and much of for a time after, would be Some time afterward, Pope II ordained occupied by Roman Chalcedonian along with Gregory a and enlisted him to help heal the Three the occupying Gothic Arian Christians. Unlike the Chapter which was still active and nearly as old as and the earlier , these Gothic Arians Gregory himself. Although he bemoaned leaving the were considerably more tolerant of Trinitarian monastic life, Gregory made one of the , . Augustine, prior of Saint Andrew. Despite Gregory’s In 535, the launched a efforts however, little was accomplished. Later in 578, campaign against the . 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 . 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 to Pope Pelagius II, a very high 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 of Pope . There were still Christian writers at this time, and during his time as apocrisiarius, but who rejected the 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 after the resurrection. the had been wiped out for over As a result, Emperor 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 , ruling became ill, with Gregory recovering while Eutychius from Constantinople. However, in 546, the Ostrogoth passed away. Gregory left Constantinope in 585 and King 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 . 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 , 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 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, of 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 , and promoted spiritual singing which abandoned city. Gregory and his family accepted this today bears his name as Gregorian . invite, returning to Rome. 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 , 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 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