Italica
Overview
Title social-statuspatricianDate of Birthlate 6th centuryBiography
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).
