Imaginary portrait (ca. 1610) of Pope Gregory I by Carlo Saraceni
Galleria Nazionale d' Arte Antica, Rome (Wikimedia)
Pope Gregory I (590-604) wrote the Dialogues in 593. Their subject is “the life and miracles of the Italian fathers” and these are recounted by means of a (somewhat one-sided) dialogue between Gregory I and his deacon, Peter. His intent was to extol the deeds of those who had protected the Catholic Church from the barbarian onslaught in the 6th century, primarily as a boost to morale as the Lombards increased their grip on Italy.
The Dialogues are arranged in four books, the second of which is devoted exclusively to St Benedict of Norcia. The text of the Dialogues transcribed by Roger Pearse is available on the web.
Spoleto in the Dialogues
Book III, Chapter 14 St Isaac and the foundation of San Giuliano, Spoleto
Book III, Chapters 21 Eleutherius, Abbot of San Marco, Spoleto and a pious nun
Book III, Chapter 29 How an Arian bishop was blinded at San Paolo inter Vineas, Spoleto
Book III, Chapter 33 Eleutherius, Abbot of San Marco, Spoleto
Norcia in the Dialogues
Book III, Chapter 15 SS Eutychius and Florentius of Norcia
Book III, Chapter 37 St Sanctulus, a priest at Norcia
Book IV, Chapter 10 St Spes of Norcia
Book IV, Chapter 11 Ursinus, a priest at Norcia
Narni in the Dialogues
Book III, Chapter 6 St Cassius of Narni
Book IV, Chapter 12 the martyr St Juvenal, who appears in this account to the dying
Book IV, Chapter 56 St Cassius of Narni
Orvieto in the Dialogues
Book I, Chapters 11-2 SS Severus and Martirius of Orvieto
Book III, Chapter 5 St Sabinus of Canosa, whose relics were venerated at Orvieto
Other Umbrian Cities in the Dialogues
Book I, Chapter 10 St Fortunatus of Todi (see also the Martyrology of Usuard)
Book III, Chapter 12 St Fulgentius of Otricoli
Book III, Chapter 13 St Herculanus of Perugia (see also the Martyrology of Florus)
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who was buried in “Ecclesia beati Petri apostoli”, assumed to be
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a church on the later site of the Abbazia di San Pietro, Perugia
Book III, Chapter 35 St Floridus of Città di Castello (“Tivoli”), who was the source for
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the accounts of:
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•St Herculanus (above); and
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•St Amantius of Città di Castello
Book III, Chapter 38 St Eutychius of Ferentium
Legend of the Twelve Syrians
Three saints (all mentioned above) from consecutive paragraphs in the Dialogues seem to appear in the Legend of the Twelve Syrians:
Book III, Chapter 13 St Herculanus of Perugia
Book III, Chapter 14 St Isaac of Spoleto
Book III, Chapter 15 St Eutychius of Norcia
All were monks, although St Herculanus subsequently became a bishop. However, only St Isaac is identified in the Dialogues as having come from Syria.
The Dialogues also contain two references to saints who were venerated in Ferentium, each of which might have been the inspiration for one of the saints in the Legend of the Twelve Syrians:
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✴Bishop Boniface of Ferenti is reported as celebrating mass feast-day of St Proculus the martyr in the diocese in the 6th century (Book I, Chapter 9).
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✴Bishop Redemptus of Ferenti had a vision of St Eutychius in ca. 568 in the church in the diocese in which St Eutychius of Ferentium was buried (Book III, Chapter 38).
“Ferenti” was probably the city of Ferentium, east of modern Viterbo. Soldiers from Viterbo destroyed it in 1172 and what survived became part of the diocese of Viterbo.
Finally, the Dialogues refer to St Abundius (Book III, Chapter 25), a sacristan of St Peter’s Rome, who might be connected with the deacon of this name in the Legend of the Twelve Syrians.