Peter the Deacon of Rome, Bl.
PETER THE DEACON OF ROME, BL.
Friend and fellow student of Pope gregory i; d. Rome, c. 605. He came to Gregory's monastery of St. Andrew's in Rome, traveled to Sicily in the interest of the pope (590–592), and as subdeacon of the Roman church (592–593) was charged with caring for its temporalities. Created cardinal deacon, he was Gregory's constant companion and appears in the Dialogues (4.57) as the pope's partner in discussing the problems of the day. Peter is cited as evidence for the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove inspiring Gregory and for certain marvels occurring at the pope's death (Bibliotheca hagiographica latina antiquae et mediae aetatis 3640–41); but both accounts are late and legendary. He was at first buried in Rome near Gregory; later his remains were translated to Vercelli, and since 1480 they have rested in Salussola, in the Diocese of Biella, Italy.
Feast: March 12.
Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum Mar. 2:208–209. j. mabillon, Acta sanctorum ordinis S. Benedicti (Paris 1668–1701) 1:484–485. a. m. zimmermann, Kalendarium Benedictinum: Die Heiligen und Seligen des Benediktinerorderns und seiner Zweige (Metten 1933–38) 1:323.
[o. j. blum]