Gregory the Great

Gregory the Great came from one of the leading families of Rome, one that had already produced two popes, Felix III and Agapetus. It may surprise the modern reader, however, to learn that the official record of the bishops of Rome and their achievements, known as the Book of Pontiffs, had very little to say about Gregory's pontificate, even though it was updated in Gregory's own day. The Renaissance saw the flowering of Gregory's reputation as a man of learning, with the first printing of his works in Latin. In the end, whatever one makes of Gregory's attempts to manage the patrimonies of Rome, it seems from the volume and quality of his works, and their wide dissemination in Latin, Greek, and vernacular languages, even to the present day, that Gregory deserved his reputation for greatness, even if this was only recognized posthumously.