Commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, he came from the Roman nobility. After his father's death, he turned his family villa into a monastery, and for many years embraced a life of prayer and contemplation. That changed when Pope Pelagius II appointed him as his apocrisiarius. In 590, Gregory succeeded Pelagius II, becoming the 64th Bishop of Rome.
From Life of St. Gregory
An excerpt from St. Gregory's hagiography.