A New Oratory

Letter 2,11 - to Castor, bishop of Rimini. january 592.

"Themotea, an illustrious lady, has informed us with the notification of a petition (which is appended hereto) that she has founded an oratory within the city of Rimini in a place owned by her, for the sake of her own devotion, and she desires it to be consecrated in honor of the holy cross.
For that reason, dearest brethren, if the aforesaid construction is consistent with your city's regulations, and it is certain that no corpse has been buried there, you will solemnly consecrate the aforesaid oratory, without public masses.
But first receive the legal donation, that is eight twelfths of her whole property, all goods movable and fixed and self-moving (slaves excepted), their usufruct retained by her for all her days of her life, as registered with the municipal administration.
Let is be done in such a way that no baptistery is built in the same place, at some future date, and you do not incardinate a priest there."

Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), I: 199.