Peter the Levite

Peter the Levite (Pietro Levita) was a disciple and collaborator of Saint Pope Gregory the Great and reposed at Rome on 30 April 605. He is honored as blessed in the Roman Catholic Church, and his cult was confirmed by Pope Pius IX in 1866.

Before he became pope, Gregory had him as a companion in the monastery of Saint Andrew on the Caelian hill. After Gregory became bishop of Rome, Peter was entrusted with the administration of the Church's estates in Campania and Sicily. Returning to Rome, he was ordained deacon and lived at the papal court as Gregory's secretary; his name occurs often in the four books of the Dialogues. John the Deacon reports that after the pope's death Peter stoutly defended his memory against those who accused him of squandering the Church's wealth and demanded the destruction of his writings.

His body was laid beside that of Pope Gregory and was later moved, perhaps in the 7th century, to the diocese of Vercelli. In 1480 the relics were brought to Salussola. The Roman Martyrology commemorates him on 30 April.