Probus

About Probus

Probus was bishop of Rieti, in central Italy, during the sixth century. Pope Gregory the Great refers to him in the fourth book of the Dialogues, reporting information received from Probus’s nephew, then a monk in Rome. This near-contemporary testimony supports Probus’s identity as a bishop known to Gregory’s community.

Gregory’s account says that, as the bishop lay dying, a boy saw two radiant visitors whom Probus identified as martyrs come to accompany him. The vision belongs to Gregory’s religious narrative and cannot be independently verified; it is retained here as a reported tradition rather than a factual detail of the bishop’s life.