Written in the 6th century by the Pope St. Gregory I, this book is a concise biography ofa patron saint of Europe, St. Benedict. He was an Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Communion and Old Catholic Churches. Benedict's main achievement, his Rule of Saint Benedict, contains a set of rules for his monks to follow. In many different stories, Saint Gregory the Great describes in detail miracles performed by God through Benedict, introducing readers to the life of Saint Benedict.

Pope Gregory I (540 –604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregorian mission, to convert the then largely pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. Gregory is also well known for his writings, which were more prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope.