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Secondary sourceBook1911

The Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great

Gregory I, Pope · 1911

A 1911 reprint of Pope Gregory the Great's Dialogues, whose second book is the earliest surviving life of Benedict and records miracle stories about him.

Book II of this work by Gregory the Great is the earliest and main biographical source for Benedict's life and miracles.

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The Dialogues of Saint Gregory the GreatPDF · 364 pages
Gregory I, Pope, The Dialogues of Saint Gregory, surnamed the Great, 1911 edition (scanned book, Internet Archive).

About this source

What it is

This is a 1911 printed edition of the Dialogues of Pope Gregory the Great, originally written around the late sixth century. Book II tells the life of Benedict of Nursia and describes miracles attributed to him. This copy was translated into English, re-edited with notes, and printed in London in 1911; it survives as a scanned book.

Why it matters

Gregory's account is the main early source historians use to learn about Benedict's life, since Benedict himself left no autobiography. It shaped how Benedict was remembered for centuries as a holy founder and miracle-worker, and shows how early medieval Christians understood sanctity.

Look closer

  • Why might a pope writing decades after Benedict's death be our main source for his life?
  • What do the miracle stories suggest about what readers at the time valued or believed?
  • How might a biography written to inspire faith differ from one written to record plain facts?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Benedict on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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