March 12, AD 604

Pope Gregory I

Pope Gregory I dies in Rome

Gregory was buried on the day he died, in the portico of Old St Peter’s rather than inside the basilica.

12 March 604

Gregory I died in Rome on 12 March 604, ending a pontificate that had begun on 3 September 590.

A historical account reports that he was buried the same day, in the portico of Old St Peter’s Basilica, in front of the sacristy.

He died after prolonged ill health, including severe gout that his late correspondence says sometimes left him barely able to speak; the sources do not establish a specific fatal pathology.

The chair stayed empty

The Roman see became vacant.

Sabinian, the 65th pope, follows Gregory in every papal list — but his pontificate did not begin until 13 September 604.

Imperial confirmation delayed the consecration, leaving the see empty for roughly half a year.

What the day did not carry

Gregory’s mission to the Anglo-Saxons, led by Augustine of Canterbury, was dispatched in 596 — earlier policy, not an act of his death date.

He helped develop Roman claims of primacy, but “laid the foundations of papal absolutism” is anachronistic and contested: his correspondence also rejected the title “universal bishop”.

Even the tenure is rounded. Fourteen years is conventional inclusive counting; the dated interval was about thirteen and a half.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 6 sources not yet audited

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What the sources leave uncertain

The death date and pontifical dates are strongly attested.
Calling the tenure '14 years' is conventional inclusive rounding; the dated interval was about thirteen and a half years.
The exact medical cause of death is not securely recorded.