Italica

Overview

Title social-status

patrician

Date of Birth

late 6th century

Biography

Italica was one of the noble women, patricians, of the Byzantine empire with whom pope Gregory I corresponded. She was married to Venantius, a nobleman, who was also a correspondent of Gregory. They lived in Sicily and had two daughters, Barbara and Antonia, to whom Gregory sends greetings in epp.9.232 and 11.18. Venantius had been a monk (exmonachus, ep.6.42) and though Gregory did not approve of his leaving the monastic life (ep.1.33), he continued to write to him, urging him not to fight with John, bishop of Syracuse (ep.6.42), answering an allegorical question about Samson (ep.9.13), writing about penance (ep.11.18), and about candidates for a bishopric (ep.13.12).

Letters to Italica

A letter from Childebert, king of the Franks (584)
A letter from Gregory I, pope (593, August)
A letter from Gregory I, pope (599, August)