For many Christians today is the feast of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church who died on this day in the year 604.
As leader of the Church, Gregory kept a close watch over the clergy and encouraged them towards holiness. He used papal money to ransom prisoners and to care for persecuted Jews and victims of famine and sickness. People of his day called him the father of the city of Rome, and the joy of the world. However, Gregory is best known for his contributions to the liturgy. He reformed the Mass and the daily prayer of the Church and wrote prayers that are still in use today as well as commentaries on Scripture that shaped theology through the Middle Ages. He also collected melodies of plain chant used in the liturgy, known as Gregorian chant, after him.
This image of Gregory was painted around 1500 by the Riojan artist Juan de Nalda (active 1490-1510). Juan completed his artistic formation with Jean Changenet in Avignon. When he returned to Castile he worked mainly in Palencia and Burgos. The simplification of volumes in his work and the importance given to light show the influence of Provencal art. Notice also the striking contrast between the design of the pavement and the decorative gold sgraffito background.
The Arts of Golden Age Spain and the Hispanic World 