Sign in

St. Peter's Basilica (Tomb of St. Gregory the Great)

Saints & Tombs Not Applicable
Vatican City, Vatican City 604 Feast day: September 3

The burial place of St. Gregory the Great.

St. Gregory the Great →
Save to my journey Mark as visited
Plan a trip here

The Story

Within St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City rest the relics of Pope St. Gregory the Great, one of the most influential popes in the Church's history and one of the four great Latin Doctors of the Church, enshrined beneath the altar of the Clementine Chapel. Gregory was born to a noble Roman family around 540. He served as prefect of Rome before giving up public life to become a monk, turning his family home on the Caelian Hill into a monastery. Called reluctantly from the cloister, he was elected pope in 590, at a time of plague, famine, and political collapse. As pope he fed the starving city, negotiated with invading armies, reformed the liturgy, and sent Augustine of Canterbury and his companions to evangelize England in 596. His writings — the Pastoral Rule on the care of souls, the Dialogues, and his many homilies and letters — shaped the medieval Church profoundly, and the tradition of Roman liturgical song has borne the name 'Gregorian chant' in his honor. He was the first pope to style himself 'servant of the servants of God,' a title his successors keep to this day. He died on March 12, 604, and was buried in St. Peter's, where his relics have remained through the rebuilding of the basilica. Pilgrims who pause at the Clementine Chapel, close to the tomb of the apostle Peter himself, honor a pope who joined contemplative depth to tireless pastoral labor — a model, as his feast day collect recalls, of the shepherd who serves rather than commands.

Church Recognition

St. Gregory the Great was acclaimed a saint from the time of his death in 604 and is honored as a Doctor of the Church, one of the four great Latin Fathers; his relics are enshrined beneath the altar of the Clementine Chapel in St. Peter's Basilica, a papal major basilica.

Catholic Teaching

Gregory's tomb speaks to the Church's veneration of relics and of the saints (CCC 1674; 946-962) and to the teaching office of the Church's pastors (CCC 888-892), which his Pastoral Rule shaped for centuries; the Catechism itself cites his writings.

Plan Your Visit

Open only what you need.

Practical

Additional Information

Pilgrims visiting St. Peter's Basilica may venerate St. Gregory's relics at the Clementine Chapel altar, near the tomb of St. Peter; his memorial on September 3 is celebrated on the General Roman Calendar, and the basilica is open to visitors year-round.

Go Deeper

Visit the basilica's official website at https://www.basilicasanpietro.va, read St. Gregory's Pastoral Rule (available in the Ancient Christian Writers series), and see the Catechism on the Church's pastors and the communion of saints (CCC 888-896; 946-962).

Doctors of the ChurchMonasticism

Location

Visit the official website ↗ See it on the interactive map →

In the Area

Other sacred sites within 40 miles.