Gregorios 72 was pope Gregory II, bishop of Rome from 715 to 731. A native of Rome, he was the son of Marcellus (Markellos 1): Lib. Pont. 91. 1 ("natione Romanus, ex patre Marcello"). His mother was Honesta 1: Lib. Pont. 91. 10 (she died during his pontificate; her name is recorded only in the later recension).

From childhood Gregorios 72 was brought up in the patriarchium (presumably the papal palace, the Lateran); under pope Sergius (Sergios 30) (687/701) he became subdeacon and sacellarius and was put in charge of the (papal) library; then he became a deacon and served in the retinue of pope Constantine (Konstantinos 136) when the pope visited Constantinople (in 710 and 711): Lib. Pont. 91. 1 (later recension) (the early recension reads: "qui a parva aetate in patriarchio nutritus, subdiaconus factus, deinde diaconatus ordinem provectus est et cum viro sancto Constantino pontifice regiam profectus est urbem"). His name is recorded in the list of those who accompanied Konstantinos 136, leaving Portus on 5 October 710: Lib. Pont. 90. 3 ("Gregorius diaconus"). The papal party returned to Rome on 24 October 711: Lib. Pont. 90. 7. During the visit he was questioned by the emperor Justinian II (Ioustinianos 1) on certain matters ("de quibusdam capitulis") and allegedly made good replies and answered all the points raised: Lib. Pont. 91. 1 (later recension).

Gregorios 72 succeeded Konstantinos 136 as bishop of Rome and occupied the see for fifteen years eight months and twenty four days: Lib. Pont. 91. 1. One of his first acts was to have lime prepared in order to restore the walls of Rome; he repaired a section before civil disturbances interrupted the work: Lib. Pont. 91. 1 (later recension). He restored the Churches of St Paul and St Lawrence, repairing the water supply of the latter, and renovated many other churches which the author of the Life does not record: Lib. Pont. 91. 2.

Gregorios 72 sent a reply to the synodical letter of John, the patriarch of Constantinople (Ioannes 4): Lib. Pont. 91. 2. He also sent Bonifatios 3 on his mission to convert the Germans: Lib. Pont. 91. 3. He restored abandoned monasteries near to the Church of St Paul and furnished them with monks, and also established or re-established a gerocomium and monasteries near the Churches of St Maria ad Praesepe and St Andrew: Lib. Pont. 91. 3. He encouraged Petronax 1 to go and live at Monte Cassino, where the monastery of St Benedict was later restored: Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 40 ("hortatuque tunc Gregorii apostolicae sedis papae hunc Cassinum castrum petiit"). He restored and refurbished the church of Jerusalem: Lib. Pont. 91. 8. He built a chapel of St Peter in the patriarchium (the Lateran palace): Lib. Pont. 91. 9.

Gregorios 72 secured from king Liutprand 1 confirmation of the restoration of the papal patrimony in the Cottian Alps: Lib. Pont. 91. 4. He offered compensation to the Lombards if they would return Cumae, which they had seized, and when they refused, he organised its recapture by the dux of Naples, Ioannes 231, and Theodimos 1; he still paid compensation to the Lombards: Lib. Pont. 91. 7. He sent as a blessing to the Frankish dux Eudo 1 three sponges used at the papal table, and the following year received from him news of the defeat of the Arabs in Francia and of the miraculous protection given to his fighting men by the three sponges: Lib. Pont. 91. 11.

Gregorios 72 was the target of plots to secure his removal and death inspired by the emperor in Constantinople (see Anonymus 239, Basilios 55, Iordanes 2, Ioannes 232, Marinos 12 and Paulos 48); the reason recorded is that he was preventing the imposition of taxes in Italy ("in provincia") and the seizure of church property (presumably referring to the taxation of church property): Lib. Pont. 91. 14-16, cf. Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 49 (unnamed pope whom Paulus 48 plotted to murder). He strongly opposed the orders from the emperor Leo III (Leo 3) against images (probably in 727) and secured widespread support in Italy; however he resisted proposals to appoint a new emperor in Italy and march on Constantinople, allegedly hoping that the emperor would change his mind: Lib. Pont. 91. 17, Paul. Diac., Hist. Lang. VI 49. Further attempts were made on his life by the dux Exhilaratus (Exilaratos 2) and by the exarchos Eutychios 4 which failed, while he secured also the support of the Lombards: Lib. Pont. 91. 18-19.

In this disturbed state of affairs Gregorios 72 continued to encourage the people to practise good works and to keep the faith, but not to abandon their loyalty to the Roman empire: Lib. Pont. 91. 20. In 727/ 728 (indiction eleven) he bombarded the Lombard king with letters and gifts and secured the return of the fort of Sutri which the Lombards had seized and occupied for 140 days: Lib. Pont. 91. 21. A joint operation of the exarchos Eutychios 4 and the king Liutprand 1 threatened Rome and Gregorios 72, but the pope met Liutprand 1 camped in the campus Neronis and persuaded him to abandon the plan and withdraw; the king asked him to make his peace with Eutychios 4: Lib. Pont. 91. 22. Later he and Eutychios 4 cooperated to overthrow the rebellion of Tiberius Petasius (Tiberios 10) in Tuscia: Lib. Pont. 91. 23.

Gregorios 72 rejected the synodical letters sent by the new patriarch of Constantinople, Anastasios 2, who succeeded in 730, because they expressed iconoclast views, and he wrote stern letters on the subject to Anastasios 2 and to the emperor Leo 3: Lib. Pont. 91. 24. He is described as chaste, learned in the Scriptures, eloquent and firm in his views, and a defender of the church who strongly resisted attacks on it ("erat enim vir castus, divinae scripturae eruditus, facundus loquela et constans animo, ecclesiasticarum rerum defensor et contrariis fortissimus impugnator"): Lib. Pont. 91. 1.

After the death of his mother Gregorios 72 rebuilt the family house ("domum propriam") as a monastery in honour of St Agatha, endowing it with urban and rural estates for the upkeep of the monks: Lib. Pont. 91. 10. He made a golden chalice and a golden paten and distributed a large sum of gold to the clergy, the monasteries of the diaconia and the mansionarii, and also for the lights in St Peter's: Lib. Pont. 91. 25. He was buried in St Peter's on 11 February 731: Lib. Pont. 91. 25.

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