Gregory III
Papacy began	11 February 731
Papacy ended	28 November 741
Predecessor	Gregory II
Successor	Zachary
Personal details
Birth name	Gregorius
Born	??? Syria, Umayyad Caliphate
Died	28 November 741(741-11-28) Rome, Exarchate of Ravenna
Other Popes named Gregory

Pope Saint Gregory III^[1] (died 28 November 741) was pope from 11 February 731 to 28 November 741. His pontificate, like that of his predecessor, was disturbed by the iconoclastic controversy in the Byzantine Empire, and by the ongoing advance of the Lombards, in which he vainly invoked the intervention of Charles Martel.

Iconoclasm and internal church issues[link]

Gregory, was the son of a Syrian named John. He was elected pope by popular acclamation on 11 February, 731, but was not formally consecrated as Bishop of Rome until 18 March^[2] after receiving the approval of the Byzantine exarch in Ravenna. He was the last pope to seek the exarch’s ratification of a papal election.^[3]

Upon his accession as pope, Gregory immediately appealed to the Byzantine Emperor Leo III to moderate his position on the iconoclastic controversy. When Gregory’s representative was arrested on the orders of the emperor, Gregory called a synod in November 731, which condemned iconoclasm outright.^[4] Leo responded by trying to bring the Pope under control, although the fleet he sent to enforce the imperial will was shipwrecked in the Adriatic Sea.^[5] He then proceeded to appropriate papal territories in Sicily and Calabria, and transferring ecclesiastical jurisdictions in the former Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum to the Patriarch of Constantinople.^[6] However, his attempt to force the Duke of Naples to enforce an imperial decree to confiscate papal territory in the duchy failed, as the duke was supportive of the pope’s stand.^[7]

Pope Gregory III – Papal medallion of the 8th century – obverse.

Gregory, in the meantime, demonstrated his opposition to iconoclasm by emphasising his veneration of icons and relics. He repaired or beautified numerous churches, which involved their decoration with icons and images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints.^[8] He ordered to be erected in the heart of St. Peter’s Basilica an iconostasis, situated between six onyx and marble columns which had been sent to Gregory as a gift from the exarch Eutychius.^[9] He also built a new oratory in St. Peter’s Basilica, which housed the relics of a number of saints, and convoked a synod in 732 in order to regulate the prayers and masses to be said there.^[10] Gregory was also an enthusiastic supporter of monasticism; he established the monastery of St. Chrysogonus and rebuilt the hospice of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, near St. Peter's, endowing it for the support of the poor.^[11]

A temporary lull in the conflict between the Byzantines and the Lombards allowed Gregory to deal with some longstanding internal issues, in particular the ongoing jurisdictional dispute between the Patriarchs of Grado and Aquileia. Although the Synod of 731 had adjudicated in this matter in favour of Grado, Gregory was forced to reprimand the Patriarch of Aquileia, Calixtus, who had attempted to gain possession of the Island of Barbana from Grado’s jurisdiction.^[12] In 731, he approved the election of Tatwine, Archbishop of Canterbury, who came to Rome in person to ask for the pallium. Gregory also approved of the election of his successor, Nothhelm, while in 735 he agreed to the claims of the King of Northumbria,Ceolwulf of Northumbria, that Egbert the Bishop of York should be elevated to the rank of Archbishop.^[13]

Gregory also promoted the Church in northern Europe; he supported the continuing mission of Saint Boniface in Germany, elevating him to the rank of archbishop of Germany in 732, and after a personal visit to Rome from Boniface in 737, where he was meant to attend a synod which does not appear to have been held,^[14] Gregory made Boniface a Papal legate in Germany, and asked him to reorganize the Episcopal sees in Germany.^[15] Gregory sent Boniface back to Bavaria with three letters; one commanded the bishops and higher ecclesiastical officers to provide Boniface with as much help as they could. A second was addressed to the nobles and people of Germany, urging them to obey Boniface, while a third to the bishops in Alamannia and Bavaria confirmed Boniface’s status as the papal vicarus, and ordered them to assemble in a council twice a year at Augsburg under Boniface’s authority.^[16] Gregory also promoted the mission of Willibald in Bohemia.

In 732, Gregory banned the consumption of horsemeat, both domestic and wild, anathematizing it as an "abomination" since it was associated with pagan ritual feasting.^[17]

Conflict with the Lombards[link]

Pope Gregory III – Papal medallion of the 8th century – reverse.

Conscious of the ongoing Lombard threat, Gregory undertook and completed the restoration of the Walls of Rome during the early 730s. He also refortified Centumcellae, and purchased off Thrasimund II of Spoleto the fortress of Gallese along the Via Flaminia, which had been taken by the Lombards, interrupting Rome’s communications with the exarch at Ravenna.^[18] The return of the Lombard king Liutprand in 737 saw a renewal of the Lombard assault on the Exarchate of Ravenna.

Gregory’s opposition to iconoclasm did not stop him lending support to the eastern empire to help in the recapture of Ravenna after it had fallen to the Lombards in around 738.^[19] That same year,^[20] Liutprand demanded that the Lombard dukes of Spoleto and Beneventum ravage the area around the Duchy of Rome, but both refused, citing a treaty with the pope.^[21] Gregory then actively encouraged the rebellion of Thrasimund II of Spoleto, forcing Liutprand to temporarily abandon his attacks on the Exarchate, and turn his attention towards Spoleto, which Liutprand annexed. Thrasimund was forced to flee Spoleto, and sought refuge in Rome, where he was welcomed by Gregory.^[22]

By the middle of 739, Liutprand was encroaching once again on the Exarchate, and threatening Rome. In desperation, Gregory sent ambassadors to Charles Martel, the Frankish Mayor of the Palace, begging him to intervene on the pope’s behalf.^[23] Although Gregory stated that he was willing to give up his allegiance to the Eastern Empire and place himself under the protection of the Franks, Charles made no promise to assist.^[24] The Lombard capture of the towns of Ameria, Ortas, Polimartium and Blera once again caused Gregory to write to Charles, this time in even greater tones of despair, beseeching his aid.^[25] He wrote:

”Our affliction moves us to write to you once again, trusting that you are a loving son of St. Peter and of us, and that, from respect for him, you will come and defend the Church of God and His peculiar people, who are now unable to endure the persecution and oppression of the Lombards. They have seized the very means set aside to furnish funds for the lights ever kept burning at St. Peter s tomb, and they have carried off offerings that have been made by you and by those who have gone before you. And because, after God, we have turned to you, the Lombards deride and oppress us. Hence the Church of St. Peter has been stripped and reduced to the last straits. We have put into the mouth of the bearer of this letter, your faithful servant all our woes, which he will be able to unfold to you. Please come at once, to show your love towards St. Peter, and us, his own people”.^[26]

This time Charles Martel did send an embassy to Rome, and this implicit support, together with the beginnings of fever running through his troops, forced Liutprand to march back to Pavia by the end of August 739.^[27] Taking advantage of this withdrawal, Gregory agreed to support Thrasimund II’s return to Spoleto, who forced his way back in by December 739 with Roman armed support. However, Thrasimund refused to hand over the four captured towns which he had promised to do in exchange papal support.^[28] Even worse news was to follow; learning that Charles Martel was sick, Liutprand once again returned to attacking the Exarchate in 740, forcing Gregory yet again to appeal to the Franks, who again refused to become involved.^[29] He also sent an embassy to Liutprand, asking for the return of the towns, but also without success.

Unsuccessful at stopping the Lombard advance, Gregory III died on 28 November 741,^[30] and was succeeded by Pope Zachary . He was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, in the oratory he had built at the start of his pontificate.^[31] Gregory’s Feast day is celebrated on 28 November.

References[link]

• Levillain, Philippe, The Papacy: Gaius-Proxies, Routledge (2002)
• Duffy, Eamon, Saints & Sinners: A History of the Popes (1997)
• Treadgold, Warren, A History of the Byzantine State and Society (1997)
• Mann, Horace K., The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Vol. I: The Popes Under the Lombard Rule, Part 2, 657-795 (1903)

Notes[link]

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Gregory III may refer to:

• Pope Gregory III, in office 731-741
• Gregory III, Count of Tusculum, r. 1058-1108
• Grigor III Pahlavuni, Armenian Catholicos of Cilicia in 1113–1166
• Gregory III Šubić of Bribir, died in 1342 or 1356, Croatian noble
• Patriarch Gregory III of Alexandria, Greek Orthodox patriarch, in office 1354-1366
• Patriarch Gregory III of Constantinople, in office 1443-1450
• Gregory III Laham, Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 2000

This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Pope Gregory I
Papacy began	3 September 590
Papacy ended	12 March 604
Predecessor	Pelagius II
Successor	Sabinian
Orders
Consecration	3 September 590
Personal details
Birth name	Gregorius
Born	c. 540 Rome, Kingdom of the Ostrogoths
Died	12 March 604(604-03-12) (age 64) Rome, Byzantine Empire
Buried	St. Peter's Basilica (1606)
Residence	Rome
Parents	Gordianus, Silvia
Sainthood
Feast day	3 September, 12 March
Other Popes named Gregory

Pope Gregory I (Latin: Gregorius I) (c. 540 – 12 March 604), better known in English as Gregory the Great, was pope from 3 September 590 until his death. Gregory is well known for his writings, which were more prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope.^[1]

Throughout the Middle Ages he was known as “the Father of Christian Worship” because of his exceptional efforts in revising the Roman worship of his day.^[2]

He is also known as St. Gregory the Dialogist in Eastern Orthodoxy because of his Dialogues. For this reason, English translations of Orthodox texts will sometimes list him as "Gregory Dialogus". He was the first of the popes to come from a monastic background. Gregory is a Doctor of the Church and one of the Latin Fathers. He is considered a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and some Lutheran churches. Immediately after his death, Gregory was canonized by popular acclaim.^[3] The Protestant reformer, John Calvin, admired Gregory and declared in his Institutes that Gregory was the last good pope.^[4] He is the patron saint of musicians, singers, students, and teachers.^[5]

Early life[link]

The exact date of Gregory's birth is uncertain, but is usually estimated to be around the year^[6] 540,^[7] in the city of Rome. His parents named him Gregorius, which according to Aelfric in An Homily on the Birth-Day of S. Gregory, "... is a Greek Name, which signifies in the Latin Tongue Vigilantius, that is in English, Watchful...."^[8] The medieval writers who give this etymology^[9] do not hesitate to apply it to the life of Gregory. Aelfric, for example, goes on: "He was very diligent in God's Commandments."^[10]

When Gregory was a child, Italy was retaken from the Goths by Justinian I, emperor of the Roman Empire ruling from Constantinople. The war was over by 552. An invasion of the Franks was defeated in 554. The Western Roman Empire had long since vanished in favor of the Gothic kings of Italy. After 554 there was peace in Italy and the appearance of restoration, except that the government now resided in Constantinople. Italy was still united into one country, "Rome" and still shared a common official language, the very last of classical Latin.

From 542 the so-called Plague of Justinian swept through the provinces of the empire, including Italy. The plague caused famine, panic, and sometimes rioting. In some parts of the country, over 1/3 of the population was wiped out or destroyed. This had heavy spiritual and emotional effects on the people of the Empire.^[11]

As the fighting had been mainly in the north, the young Gregorius probably saw little of it. Totila sacked and vacated Rome in 547, destroying most of its ancient population, but in 549 he invited those who were still alive to return to the empty and ruinous streets. It has been hypothesized that young Gregory and his parents, Gordianus and Silvia, retired during that intermission to Gordianus' Sicilian estates, to return in 549.^[12]

Gregory had been born into a wealthy noble Roman family with close connections to the church. The Lives in Latin use nobilis but they do not specify from what historical layer the term derives or identify the family. No connection to patrician families of the Roman Republic has been demonstrated.^[13] Gregory's great-great-grandfather had been Pope Felix III,^[14] but that pope was the nominee of the Gothic king, Theodoric.^[13] Gregory's election to the throne of St Peter made his family the most distinguished clerical dynasty of the period.^[15] The family owned and resided in a villa suburbana on the Caelian Hill, fronting the same street, now the Via di San Gregorio, with the former palaces of the Roman emperors on the Palatine Hill opposite. The north of the street runs into the Colosseum; the south, the Circus Maximus. In Gregory's day the ancient buildings were in ruins and were privately owned.^[16] Villas covered the area. Gregory's family also owned working estates in Sicily^[17] and around Rome.^[18]

Gregory's father, Gordianus, held the position of Regionarius in the Roman Church. Nothing further is known about the position. Gregory's mother, Silvia, was well-born and had a married sister, Pateria, in Sicily. Gregory later had portraits done in fresco in their former home on the Caelian and these were described 300 years later by John the Deacon. Gordianus was tall with a long face and light eyes. He wore a beard. Silvia was tall, had a round face, blue eyes and a cheerful look. They had another son whose name and fate are unknown.^[19]