St Gregory I

I

Introduction

St Gregory I (c. 540-604), pope (590-604), who was the last of the four original Doctors of the Church. He became known as Gregory the Great.

Born in Rome into a patrician family, Gregory was the son of a senator and the great-grandson of Pope Felix III (pope 483-492). With these powerful connections, he easily rose in the civil service to become prefect of Rome in 570. He soon decided to become a monk, and in about 575 he transformed his family estate in Rome into a monastery dedicated to St Andrew.

In 579 Gregory was sent by Pope Pelagius II (pope 579-590) as his representative to the emperor in Constantinople, where he tried to obtain military aid against the Lombards, who had invaded Italy and had settled dangerously close to Rome. After he returned to Rome, he was elected pope in 590. Despite Gregory's efforts, no aid against the Lombards came from Constantinople, and Gregory had to negotiate with them himself. In 594 he prevented a Lombard invasion of Rome by agreeing to pay a yearly tribute.

II

Papacy

As pope, Gregory enhanced the prestige of the papacy and gave the office a somewhat different character. Because the Lombards had caused the almost complete collapse of Roman civil administration, Gregory had to be even more solicitous than his predecessors in providing for the poor and protecting the population near Rome. His able administration of the vast estates owned by the Church of Rome supplied the food and monies for this task. Under Gregory, the papacy assumed political leadership in Italy and consolidated its lands throughout the country into a single unit, which later became the foundation of the Papal States.

Gregory upheld Rome's traditional claims of ecclesiastical primacy over the patriarch of Constantinople, as well as over the other bishops of the Church. He also took great interest in the liturgy, introducing a number of reforms. He is credited with incorporating Gregorian chant into the liturgy.

In 597 Gregory sent to England the prior of his own monastery of St Andrew, St Augustine of Canterbury, along with 40 monks. The great success of this mission led to an enduring sense of loyalty to the papacy among the early English, and English missionaries encouraged this loyalty among almost all the peoples of northern Europe.

III

Writings

The 14 books of Gregory's letters provide a rich source for understanding the man and his times. Besides the letters and a number of homilies, Gregory wrote several works that were immensely influential in the Middle Ages. These works are practical and moralistic in emphasis. The Moralia (Morals on the Book of Job) is a commentary on Job that ranges widely over doctrinal and disciplinary matters. The Liber Pastoralis Curae (Pastoral Care) describes the ideal bishop and is intended as an instruction on the practice and nature of preaching. The most charming of Gregory's writings is the Dialogues, principally a collection of legends about saints from Gregory's own time. A unique source of information about St Benedict, it was partly responsible for the popularity of Benedictine monasticism in the Middle Ages, and its emphasis on miracles set the pattern for the medieval conception of sainthood.

The real greatness of Gregory lay in his extensive pastoral activity. His practicality, generosity, and compassion won him the affection of his contemporaries. He died in Rome on March 12, 604; he is generally believed to have been canonized by popular acclaim upon his death. His feast day is March 12.