Saint Gregory of Tours was born around the year 538 at Arverni, which is now Clermont-Ferrand. He belonged to the Gallo-Roman family, which was a very prestigious family. He was also related to the houses of Gaul. Gregory’s original name was Georgius Florentius. He took the name Gregory to honor his late grandfather who was named Gregory. His Grandfather was the Bishop of Langres. When Gregory was young, his father died and he went to live with his Uncle. His uncle, Gallus, was the Bishop of Clermont. Gallus educated him until his death in 554. Gregory’s mother left to live with friends in Burgandy and left her son to Avitus who became Bishop of Clermont after Gallus. Avitus taught Gregory all about the Scriptures. Gregory was not too impressed with the scriptures. Gregory got seriously ill and wasn’t supposed to recover. He did recover though and this made him more mindful of God and the scriptures. Gregory then became a friend with the Bishop of Tours whose name was Euphronius. Euphronius died in 573 and Gregory succeeded him as Bishop of Tours. During this time in Tours, there was great political and social chaos. The relationships with the Bishops and the Kings and Masters was not good. The Kings abused their powers and this caused civil wars. Gregory wrote that these conflicts were more hurtful to the church than the persecution from Diocletian. Eventually the unrest and Tours stopped and peace was at hand. The Masters of Tours were constantly changing until Guntram who was the King of Burgandy took over the rule of Tours. Guntram and Gregory were friends and the role of bishop was given more authority and respect. Guntram signed the Treaty of Andelot in the year 587. This treaty gave the rule of Tours to Childebert II. Childebert honored Gregory and let him go on many missions. During this time, Gregory played an important role in the building of new churches and restoring the cathedral in Tours. Gregory was also known for being a great historian. He wrote about the miracles of St. Martin (St. Martin’s tomb is in Tours) and the history of the Frankish Empire. The history of the Frank was entitled Historia Francorum, It had ten books and started with creation and ended in the year 591.
“He was born soon after 770 and was given his father’s name. The family sent him as a boy to the great monastery of Fulda, where he was educated, and made a grant to the abbey of land which they held in the Maingau. In the 790’s he was sent by the abbot to Charlemagne’s court, where he became the pupil of Yorkshireman Alcuin who had gone to teach there, and succeeded him as teacher at the palace school.”
There were three heirs to the legacy of Rome that appeared after its fall. These heirs included Latin Christendom, Byzantium, and Islam. Latin Christendom lagged behind the other two, but eventually caught up. Modern Western societies trace their origin through Latin Christendom. During the Early Middle Ages, Christianity continued to spread throughout Europe. Furthermore, Merovingian King Clovis the First was the earliest Germanic ruler to convert to the Christian faith. Moreover, the Early Middle Ages saw the rise of Charlemagne as the ruler of the Franks. Charlemagne left a lasting legacy, and was instrumental in initiating the Carolingian Renaissance. The Carolingian Renaissance was an attempt to raise the standard of learning. Furthermore, the Franks had an alliance with the Papacy. During this era, there was a significant growth of Papal power. Consequently, as the Christian church increased in power it also increased its influence on society. Another religion emerged in the Middle East which affected Latin Christendom. The emergence of the new Islamic faith eventually caused tension with Latin Christendom that culminated in the Crusades. The Muslims invasion of France was repelled at the Battle of Tours by Charles Martel. The Muslims had even invaded sections of Byzantium. Issues s...
In 1118 Hugues de Payan and eight fellow knights went to Jerusalem and offered their services to the king, Baldwin 1. King Baldwin offered housing to the knights at the former mosque al-Aqsa, which was located on the site of King Solomon's great temple. The order received its name from this fact. Templars ...
St.Henry II was born in Albach, Hildesheim, Germany, 973. His feast day is July 13. This is the story of a man who became a holy emperor and was a wise ruler. He led and defended the Holy Roman Empire and he promoted peace in Europe so war wouldn’t come upon them. St. Henry is known as the patron saint of the childless and lame. He was the last of the Ottonian Empire. Henry was the son of Gisela and Henry II, Duke of Bavaria.
King Henry believed that the Roman Catholic church had been corrupted and sought to be the supreme authority of the divided Roman Empire. King Henry defends his title as Holy Roman Emperor and accuses Pope Gregory of buying his way into the papacy (c.1076), claiming “me…unworthy to be among the anointed, have nevertheless been anointed to the kingdom…thou has achieved money; by money, favour; by the sword, the throne of peace.” King Henry did not approve of Pope Gregory’s conjectured authority and saw Pope Gregory as a usurper after his crown. The next lines show how King Henry saw the papal threat (c.1076) with “The pride of him who is in power increases the more, the greater the number of those subject to him.” The words of King Henry seem logical from his point of view; but Pope Gregory proved determined to rule supreme, even if it took the excommunication of the
Pope Gregory I, who also goes by the name Saint Gregory the Great served as the head of the Roman Catholic Church from the year 590 AD until his demise in 604 AD. Pope Gregory the great is revered in modern times owing to his insight and deliberation on critical issues that were characteristic of the period that he headed the church (Straw 11). It is important to note that his contribution to societal engagements was holistic and focused towards development and sustenance of a just and fair social system that upholds human dignity at all times. According to historians, Pope Gregory the Great exuded a rare insight into the essence of religious piety through his writings that continue to influence human beings
I have chosen Saint Cathrine of Alexandria for my Confirmation Saint. Catherine of Alexadria is my choice because she loved God with all her heart and soul. She was known for her beauty, brains, and nobel birth. I can relate to Catherine because as I go through process of confirmation to accept God. We share the same age and love for God. She was brave at a young age and was confident enough to stand up for her beliefs, and was committed to God.
Saint Francis was very devoted to God and wanted to become a priest and to become a servant of God at a very early age.
more powerful and had more authority” . “Gregory sought to expand and standardize the church
Gregory III succeeded him. He sent a priest named George with letters that were against Iconoclasm to Constantinople. He was too afraid to present them, and did not fulfill the job. George was then sent out again and was arrested and imprisoned in Italy by a governor. In 731, Gregory III held a synod of 93 bishops who broke and destroyed images of
Francis of Assisi lived about eight hundred years ago. He was born in the city of Assisi, Italy, in 1182. He was the son of Peter Bernardone (A wealthy merchant) and Madonna Pica. His father sold spices and fabrics and was often out of town on business. While Peter Bernardone was traveling in Provence on business, Madonna Pica gave birth to his son. Far from being excited or apologetic because he'd been gone, Pietro was furious because she'd had his new son baptized Giovanni after John the Baptist. The last thing Pietro wanted in his son was a man of God -- he wanted a man of business, a cloth merchant like he was, and he especially wanted a son Francesco -- which is the equivalent of calling him Frenchman. Francis spent a happy childhood under the watchful eye of Madonna Pica and the attention heaped on him by his father, who was certain that Francis would follow him in the merchant business. His strict education and healthy moral upbringing gave everything he did a sense of balance. Francis enjoyed a very rich easy life growing up because of his father's wealth and the permissiveness of the times. From the beginning everyone loved Francis. He was constantly happy, charming, and a born leader. If he was picky, people excused him. If he was ill, people took care of him. If he was so much of a dreamer he did poorly in school, no one minded. In many ways he was too easy to like for his own good. No one tried to control him or teach him.
St. Francis of Assisi was born in Umbria, in 1811. Growing up, Francis enjoyed a very rich easy life because of his father’s wealth. Francis was loved by everyone. He was constantly happy, and a born leader. Whenever Francis was picky, people didn’t mind. If he was sick, people took care of him. Even from a young age, Francis was in love with French culture. He loved the songs of France, the romance of France, and especially the church. Francis had a different idea of life than his father.
St. Basil the Great, the founder of communal monasticism and a famous teacher of rhetoric was born in Caesara, the capital of Cappadocia in the year 329. Basil came from a wealthy family who owned a considerable amount of land. His parents were St. Basil the Elder and St. Emmelia. Basil spent much of his childhood with his Grandmother, who gave him much knowledge and information, which ended up being a critical factor in his development. He started his education in Constanipole and finished it in Athens, where he met Gregory of Nazianzus who would soon become his close friend.
Gregory strongly believed that the choosing of bishops was solely the church's role and opposed German Emperor Henry IV's policy of "lay investiture" which allowed the bishop to bestow a bishop title on a layman. When Gregory excommunicated Gregory for continuing this policy, Henry was forced to beg for forgiveness and submit to Pope Gregory. This led to decades of quarrel as popes and emperors struggled for supremacy. Many years later, Pope Innocent III immortalized his papacy by fully actualizing Gregory's vision and successfully establishing a united Kingdom of Christianity throughout most of
St Augustine was born on November 13th, 354 to parents Patricius and Monica. During St. Augustine’s early years, both of his parents held differing views surrounding Christianity. Patricius was a pagan who later converted to Christianity moments before his death and Monica, later became a saint out of her unwavering devotion towards the Catholic faith. St Augustine was known for his notorious living by participating in sinful acts, thus his miraculous conversion in immersing himself within the catholic religion is often seen as a beacon of hope for those who live in sin. St. Monica is said to have influenced St. Augustine by introducing him to the Catholic faith and as a result is