Isidore was raised and educated by his older brother, also a bishop, after the early death of their parents, and went on to succeed his brother as bishop of Seville, a position he held for more than three decades. He worked to convert the Arian Visigothic kingdom of Spain fully to Catholic orthodoxy and organized several important Church councils that shaped the discipline and liturgy of the Spanish Church.
Isidore's most lasting achievement was his Etymologiae, a sweeping encyclopedia attempting to gather and summarize the whole of ancient learning — history, science, law, theology, and language — at a time when much classical knowledge was at risk of being lost. The work was copied and studied throughout medieval Europe for centuries and remains a uniquely valuable window into what an educated person of his era knew. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1722 and is popularly regarded as a patron of the internet and computer users for his encyclopedic effort to organize all knowledge.
Saint Isidore of Seville
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
A bishop who compiled a vast encyclopedia summarizing the knowledge of the ancient world, helping preserve classical learning through the early medieval period.
- Born
- 560
- Died
- 636
- Birthplace
- Cartagena or Seville, Spain
- Died in
- Seville, Spain
- Country
- Spain
- Century
- 6th century
Why People Pray to Saint Isidore of Seville
Saint Isidore of Seville is invoked by students, writers, and researchers, and by those who work with computers and the internet.
