St. Gregory the Great (c. 540-604), Pope from 590 to 604, is one of the four Latin Doctors of the Church and one of only three popes to bear the title "the Great." Born to a noble Roman senatorial family on the Caelian Hill, he served as prefect of Rome before converting his family villa into the Monastery of St. Andrew. He sent the Gregorian mission to England under Augustine of Canterbury in 597, founding English Christianity. He reformed the Roman liturgy and is called the "Father of Christian Worship." Patron of musicians, singers, teachers, and students.
Pilgrimage Sites Dedicated to St. Gregory the Great
Rome
Italy · Europe
Rome holds the tombs of Peter and Paul, the four papal basilicas, the Holy Stairs and the catacombs of the early Church.
Canterbury
England (UK) · Europe
Canterbury's St Thomas of Canterbury Church holds the shrine and relics of St Thomas Becket, martyred in the cathedral here in 1170.