Saint Hieromartyr Gregory
of Spoleto.

Little is recorded of the early life and family background of Saint Gregory, though we know he was born in the city of Spoleto in the province of Umbria, Italy, during the third century. The sources indicate only that little is known about his early life and family background, and that he devoted himself from his youth to the Christian faith and to priestly service in the Church.

He employed his time night and day in fasting and prayer, and in teaching others the holy law of God. Through his holy life and constant intercession, Gregory became a beloved figure in the local Christian community, respected for his zeal in spreading the Gospel and his pastoral care of the faithful.

Gregory received ordination as a priest and served the Church faithfully in Spoleto during the early decades of the fourth century. A priest martyred in Spoleto in Italy under Maximinian Herculeus, he exercised his priestly ministry in a time of increasing hostility toward Christianity from Roman authorities. As a priest, his role was to celebrate the mysteries of the Church, to teach the Gospel, and to shepherd the Christian flock in faith and holiness.

During the persecution ordered by Emperors Diocletian and Maximian, Flaccus, a General of the armed forces, arrived at that City with a special order from the Emperor Maximian, to punish all the Christians. Gregory's public dedication to Christ and his success in instructing many in the faith made him a target for persecution. He was arrested and interrogated, but his constancy in prayer and his clear teaching made him an unmovable witness to the Gospel.

When brought before the magistrate Flaccus, Gregory was offered a choice between apostasy and torture. In answer to the magistrate's demands that he sacrifice to the pagan gods, the holy priest replied: "I desire not such a friendship, nor do I sacrifice to devils but to my God, Jesus Christ." His refusal to renounce his faith led to a terrible ordeal of torture.

In the time of the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian, he was first beaten with rough clubs and then, after being exposed on the gridiron and imprisoned, was struck on the knees with iron carding instruments, burned on the sides with firebrands and finally, beheaded. After a lengthy period of torture, he was beheaded on 24 December 304. Through his steadfastness unto death, the holy priest Gregory completed his earthly pilgrimage and entered into glory.

The memory of Saint Gregory remained dear to the Christian community of Spoleto. Three churches in Spoleto are or were dedicated to St Gregory: San Gregorio della Sinagoga, on the site on which he was imprisoned; San Gregorio Minore, on the site of the Roman amphitheatre in which he was martyred; and San Gregorio Maggiore, which St Abbondanza (the virgin) built near his grave in ca. 840 to house his relics.

The relics of the holy martyr became treasured reliquaries throughout Christendom. In 951, Bruno of Cologne, the brother of the future Emperor Otto I, took some of them to Cologne. A bust reliquary (16th century) survives in the treasury of Cologne Cathedral. In 993, some of Gregory's relics were transferred to the cathedral in Trier, Germany by the bishop, Egbert. Thus the holy priest's intercession has been sought and his memory honored across the Christian world.

Hieromartyr Gregory of Spoleto was a holy priest of the city of Spoleto in Italy who devoted himself to prayer, fasting, and the instruction of the faithful in the knowledge of God. He employed his time night and day in fasting and prayer, and in teaching others the holy law of God.

Gregory lived during the fierce persecution of the Church under the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284–305 AD). When Flaccus, a General of the armed forces, arrived at that City with a special order from the Emperor Maximian, to punish all the Christians, he was informed that Gregory had converted many from idolatry and had become a teacher and defender of the Christian faith.

Gregory was arrested and brought before Flaccus for trial. When the magistrate urged him to save himself by sacrificing to the pagan gods and accepting the friendship and favors of the emperors, the holy priest replied steadfastly: "I desire not such a friendship, nor do I sacrifice to devils but to my God, Jesus Christ." His unwavering refusal to deny Christ led to his torture. In the time of Emperors Diocletian and Maximian, he was first beaten with rough clubs, exposed on the gridiron and imprisoned, struck on the knees with iron carding instruments, burned on the sides with firebrands, and finally beheaded.

According to tradition, after his death his remains were to be fed to the wild animals kept for public games. However, a Christian woman (whose name is not known) bought them back for a considerable sum of money and had them properly prepared for burial. Thus did the holy hieromartyr Gregory complete his witness to Christ through the shedding of his blood.