Pope Gregory I

By Melissa Snell, About.com Guide

Fresco of Pope Gregory the Great in Mistra

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This profile of Pope Gregory I is part of
Who's Who in Medieval History
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Pope Gregory I is also known as:

Saint Gregory, Pope Saint Gregory, Gregory the Great

Pope Gregory I is noted for:

Reforming the mass, founding monasteries, helping the sick and poor, and being the foremost influence in shaping the early medieval papacy. Gregory was also made a Doctor of the Church. He has been credited with originating Gregorian Chant, although it is more likely that others developed it in keeping with his new rules for the mass.

Occupations:

Places of Residence and Influence:

Europe

Italy

Important Dates:

Born:

c. 540

Consecrated Pope:

Died:

About Pope Gregory I:

A pious and learned man, Gregory preferred the monastic life. He managed to found and endow several monasteries before he was drawn into ecclesiastical politics. As pope, he sponsored evangelist missions, centralized the papacy's administrative machinery and fought corruption and negligence. He did a great deal for the poor and the sick, for refugees from Lombard invaders and plague victims.

Gregory had a powerful influence on the formation of the early papacy, drawing on The City of God by Augustine of Hippo for his theological foundation. He was able to consolidate the lands controlled by the papacy into what would later be known as "the Papal States."

Gregory is buried in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome.

For more information about Gregory's extraordinary life, visit your Guide's Concise Biography of Pope Gregory I.