Editing Pope Gregory III

{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from 731 to 741}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Pope
| name = Gregory III
| title = [[Bishop of Rome]]
| church = [[Catholic Church]]
| image = 178-7866 IMG - Gregorius III AV.png
| caption = Undated medal depicting Gregory III
| honorific-prefix = [[Pope Saint]]
| term_start = 11 February 731
| term_end = 28 November 741
| predecessor = [[Pope Gregory II|Gregory II]]
| successor = [[Pope Zachary|Zachary]]
| cardinal = 726
| created_cardinal_by = [[Pope Gregory II|Gregory II]]
| birth_date = 
| birth_place = [[Bilad al-Sham]], [[Umayyad Caliphate]]<ref>{{cite book |author=Houghton Mifflin Company |title=The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Biography |year=2003 |isbn=9780618252107 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rySr84jox_AC&pg=PA642 |page=642|publisher=Houghton Mifflin }}</ref>
| death_date = 28 November 741
| death_place = [[Rome]], [[Exarchate of Italy|Italy]], [[Eastern Roman Empire]]
| previous_post = Cardinal-Deacon (726–731)
| venerated = [[Roman Catholic Church]]<br / >[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]
| feast_day = [[10 December]]
| other = Gregory
}}

'''Pope Gregory III''' ({{langx|la|Gregorius III}}; died 28 November 741) was the [[bishop of Rome]] from 11 February 731 to his death on 28 November 741. His pontificate, like that of his predecessor, was disturbed by [[Byzantine iconoclasm]] and the advance of the [[Lombards]], in which he invoked the intervention of [[Charles Martel]], although ultimately in vain. He was the last [[pope]] to seek the consent of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] [[exarch of Ravenna]] for his election, the last pope of [[Syrian]] origin, and the last pope born outside Europe until the election of [[Pope Francis]] 1,272 years later in 2013.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/greg3.htm| title = Brusher S.J., Joseph. "St. Gregory III", ''Popes Through the Ages''}}</ref>

==Election==
Gregory was the son of a [[Syrian]] [[Eastern Christian|Christian]] named Ioannes, Yohannan or John.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios726.htm|title=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church|access-date=15 March 2013|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305083858/http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios726.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was [[papal selection before 1059|elected pope]] by popular acclamation on 11 February 731, but was not formally [[episcopal consecration|consecrated]] as [[bishop of Rome]] until 18 March,<ref>Mann, p. 204</ref> after having received the approval of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] [[exarch of Ravenna]]. He was the last pope to seek the exarch's ratification of a papal election.<ref>Levillain, p. 643</ref>

==Anti-iconoclasm==
Immediately upon his accession, Gregory appealed to [[Emperor Leo III]] to moderate his position on [[iconoclasm]]. When Gregory's representative was arrested on the orders of the emperor, Gregory called a [[Synods of Rome (731)|synod]] in November 731, which condemned iconoclasm outright.<ref>Treadgold, p. 354; Mann, p. 205</ref> Leo responded by trying to bring the pope under control, but the fleet he sent to enforce the imperial will was shipwrecked in the [[Adriatic Sea]].<ref>Levillain, p. 644; Mann, p. 206</ref> He then proceeded to appropriate papal territories in [[Sicily]] and [[Calabria]], and transferred ecclesiastical jurisdictions in the former [[praetorian prefecture of Illyricum]] to the [[patriarch of Constantinople]].<ref>Duffy, p. 64; Mann, p. 207</ref> However, his attempt to force the [[duke of Naples]] to enforce an imperial decree to confiscate papal territory in the duchy failed, as the duke was supportive of the pope's stand.<ref>Mann, p. 208</ref>

Gregory, in the meantime, demonstrated his opposition to iconoclasm by emphasising his veneration of icons and relics. He repaired or beautified numerous churches, which involved their decoration with icons and images of [[Jesus Christ]], the [[Virgin Mary]] and the saints.<ref>Mann, pp. 208–209</ref> He ordered to be erected in the heart of [[Old St. Peter's Basilica|St. Peter's Basilica]] an ''[[iconostasis]]'', situated between six [[onyx]] and [[marble]] columns which had been sent to Gregory as a gift from the exarch [[Eutychius (exarch)|Eutychius]].<ref>Duffy, p. 63; Mann, p. 210</ref> He built a new oratory in St. Peter's Basilica to house the relics of a number of saints, convoking a [[Synod of Rome (732)|synod in 732]] in order to regulate the prayers and masses to be said there.<ref>Mann, p. 209</ref> Gregory was an enthusiastic supporter of [[monasticism]]; he established the monastery of [[San Crisogono|St. Chrysogonus]] and rebuilt the hospice of [[Saints Sergius and Bacchus]], near St. Peter's, endowing it for the support of the poor.<ref>Mann, pp. 210–211</ref>

==Ecclesiastical policy==
A temporary lull in the conflict between the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]] and the [[Lombards]] allowed Gregory to deal with some longstanding internal issues, in particular the ongoing jurisdictional dispute between the patriarchs of [[Patriarch of Grado|Grado]] and [[Patriarch of Aquileia|Aquileia]]. Although the Synod of 731 had adjudicated in this matter in favour of Grado, Gregory was forced to reprimand the patriarch of Aquileia, Calixtus, who had attempted to gain possession of the island of [[Barbana, Italy|Barbana]] from Grado's jurisdiction.<ref>Mann, pp. 211–212</ref> In 731, he approved the election of [[Tatwine]] as [[archbishop of Canterbury]], after the latter came to Rome in person to ask for the [[pallium]]. Gregory approved of the election of his successor, [[Nothhelm]], while in 735 he agreed to the request of King [[Ceolwulf of Northumbria]] that Bishop [[Egbert of York]] should be elevated to the rank of [[Archbishop of York|archbishop]].<ref>Mann, pp. 212–213</ref>

Gregory promoted the Church in [[northern Europe]]. He supported the continuing mission of [[Saint Boniface]] in [[Germany]], elevating him to the rank of archbishop of Germany in 732; and, after a personal visit to Rome from Boniface in 737, where he was meant to attend a synod which does not appear to have been held,<ref name=autogenerated1>Mann, p. 214</ref> Gregory made Boniface a [[papal legate]] in Germany, and asked him to reorganize the [[episcopal see]]s in Germany.<ref>Levillain, p. 644</ref> Gregory sent Boniface back to [[Bavaria]] with three letters. One commanded the bishops and higher ecclesiastical officers to provide Boniface with as much help as they could. A second was addressed to the nobles and people of Germany, urging them to obey Boniface. A third, addressed to the bishops in [[Alamannia]] and Bavaria, confirmed Boniface's status as the [[papal vicar]], ordering them to assemble in a council twice a year at [[Augsburg]] under Boniface's authority.<ref>Mann, pp. 214–215</ref> Gregory promoted the mission of [[Willibald]] in Germany.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15644c.htm Mershman, Francis. "Sts. Willibald and Winnebald." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 18 September 2017</ref>

In 732, Gregory banned the consumption of [[horse meat]], both domestic and wild, anathematizing it as an "abomination" since it was associated with [[pagan]] ritual feasting.<ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref>{{cite book |first=Calvin W. |last=Schwabe |title=Unmentionable Cuisine |location=Charlottesville |publisher=University of Virginia Press |year=1979 |page=157 |isbn=978-0813908113 }}</ref>

==Lombard threat==
[[File:Liutprand's Italy-it.gif|thumb|The division of Italy between the Lombards and the Byzantines during Gregory III's pontificate]]
Conscious of the ongoing Lombard threat, Gregory undertook and completed the restoration of the [[Aurelian Walls]] during the early 730s. He also refortified [[Centumcellae]], purchasing from [[Thrasimund II of Spoleto]] the fortress of [[Gallese]] along the [[Via Flaminia]], which had been taken by the Lombards, interrupting Rome's communications with the exarch at [[Ravenna]].<ref>Mann, p. 216</ref> The return of the Lombard king [[Liutprand, King of the Lombards|Liutprand]] in 737 saw a renewal of the Lombard assault on the Exarchate of Ravenna.

Gregory's opposition to [[Byzantine iconoclasm]] did not stop his lending support to the [[Byzantine Empire]] to help in the recapture of Ravenna after it had fallen to the Lombards in around 738.<ref>Treadgold, p. 355; Duffy, p. 63</ref> In that same year,<ref>Mann, p. 221</ref> Liutprand demanded that the Lombard dukes of [[Duchy of Spoleto|Spoleto]] and [[Duchy of Benevento|Beneventum]] ravage the area around the Duchy of Rome; but both refused, citing a treaty with the pope.<ref>Mann, pp. 216–217</ref> Gregory then actively encouraged the rebellion of Thrasimund, forcing Liutprand to temporarily abandon his attacks on the exarchate, turning his attention towards Spoleto, which Liutprand annexed. Thrasimund was forced to flee Spoleto, seeking refuge in Rome, where he was welcomed by Gregory.<ref>Treadgold, p. 355; Mann, pp. 217–218</ref>

By the middle of 739, Liutprand was encroaching once again on the Exarchate and threatening Rome. In desperation, Gregory sent ambassadors to [[Charles Martel]], the [[Franks|Frankish]] [[mayor of the Palace]], begging him to intervene on the pope's behalf.<ref>Duffy, p. 68</ref> Although Gregory stated that he was willing to give up his allegiance to the Eastern Empire and place himself under the protection of the Franks, Charles made no promise to assist, since he was fully occupied by the [[Umayyad invasion of Gaul]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Michael Collins|title=The Fisherman's Net: The Influence of the Popes on History|date=1 August 2005|publisher=Paulist Press|isbn=9781587680335|page=[https://archive.org/details/fishermansnet00mich/page/85 85]|edition=reprint, revised|url=https://archive.org/details/fishermansnet00mich/page/85}}</ref><ref>Mann, pp. 218–219</ref> Gregory himself referred to these [[Saracen]] Muslims as ''gens ferocissima'' or "that most fierce nation".<ref>{{cite book|author1=Irfan Shahîd|title=Byzantium and the Arabs in the Fourth Century|date=1984|publisher=Dumbarton Oaks|isbn=9780884021162|page=187|edition=illustrated, reprint}}</ref> The Lombard capture of the towns of [[Amelia, Umbria|{{not a typo|Ameria}}]], [[Orte|Ortas]], [[Bomarzo|Polimartium]] and [[Blera]] once again caused Gregory to write to Charles, this time in even greater tones of despair, beseeching his aid:<ref>Mann, p. 219</ref>
<blockquote>Our affliction moves us to write to you once again, trusting that you are a loving son of St. Peter and of us, and that, from respect for him, you will come and defend the Church of God and His peculiar people, who are now unable to endure the persecution and oppression of the Lombards. They have seized the very means set aside to furnish funds for the lights ever kept burning at St. Peter's tomb, and they have carried off offerings that have been made by you and by those who have gone before you. And because, after God, we have turned to you, the Lombards deride and oppress us. Hence the Church of St. Peter has been stripped and reduced to the last straits. We have put into the mouth of the bearer of this letter, your faithful servant all our woes, which he will be able to unfold to you. Please come at once, to show your love towards St. Peter, and us, his own people.<ref>Mann, pp. 219–220</ref></blockquote>

This time Charles Martel did send an embassy to Rome, and this implicit support, together with the beginnings of fever running through his troops, forced Liutprand to march back to [[Pavia]] by the end of August 739.<ref>Mann, p. 220</ref> Taking advantage of this withdrawal, Gregory agreed to support Thrasimund II's return to Spoleto. Thrasimund II forced his way back in by December 739 with Roman armed support, but refused to hand over the four captured towns he had promised in exchange for papal support.<ref>Levillain, p. 644; Mann, p. 222</ref> Learning that Charles Martel was sick, Liutprand once again returned to attacking the Exarchate in 740, forcing Gregory yet again to appeal to the Franks, who again refused to become involved.<ref>Levillain; p. 644; Mann, pp. 221–222</ref>

==Death==
Unsuccessful at stopping the Lombard advance, Gregory III died on 28 November 741.<ref>Mann, p. 223</ref> He was succeeded by [[Pope Zachary]]. He was buried in St. Peter's Basilica, in the oratory he had built at the start of his pontificate.<ref>Mann, p. 224</ref> Gregory's [[feast day]] is now celebrated on 10
December.

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
{{Portal|Biography|Christianity|History}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book | last = Levillain | first = Philippe | title = The papacy : Gaius-Proxies | url = https://archive.org/details/papacy00phil | url-access = registration | publisher = Routledge | location = New York | year = 2002 | isbn = 9780415922302 }}
*{{cite book | last = Duffy | first = Eamon | title = Saints & Sinners: A History of the Popes | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] | location = New Haven, Conn. | year = 2006 | isbn = 9780300115970 | url = https://archive.org/details/00book1593273669 }}
*{{cite book | last = Treadgold | first = Warren | title = A History of the Byzantine State and Society| publisher = Stanford University Press | location = Stanford, California | year = 1997 | isbn = 978-0804726306 }}
* {{cite book|last=Mann|first= Horace K.|title=The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages|volume= I: The Popes Under the Lombard Rule, Part 2, 657-795|year=1914|url=https://archive.org/stream/livesofpopesinea12mann#page/202/mode/2up|pages=203–224}}
{{refend}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Pope Gregory II|Gregory II]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Pope]]|years=731–741}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Pope Zachary|Zachary]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Popes}}
{{Catholic saints}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory 03, Pope}}
[[Category:741 deaths]]
[[Category:8th-century archbishops]]
[[Category:Popes of the Byzantine Papacy]]
[[Category:8th-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:Asian popes]]
[[Category:Italian Roman Catholic saints]]
[[Category:Papal saints]]
[[Category:Syrian popes]]
[[Category:Syrian Christian saints]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]
[[Category:Popes]]
[[Category:8th-century popes]]
[[Category:Leo III the Isaurian]]
[[Category:Burials at St. Peter's Basilica]]