Braulio of Zaragoza

Saint Braulio
Braulio and Isidore of Seville. From the Isidori libri originum, second half of the 10th century.
Born585[1]
Died651
Venerated inEastern Orthodox Church
Roman Catholic Church
Major shrineNuestra Señora del Pilar
Feast26 March, 18 March (Spain)
PatronageAragon

Braulio (Latin: Braulius Caesaraugustanus; 585 – 651 AD) was bishop of Zaragoza and a learned cleric living in the Kingdom of the Visigoths.

Life

Braulio was born of a noble Hispano-Roman family. His father was Bishop of Osma. In 610 Braulio became a monk, and later studied under Isidore at Seville. Archbishop Isidore used education to counteract increasingly influential Gothic barbarism in his jurisdiction. Braulio was ordained by Isidore in 624. In 625 Braulio returned to Zaragoza where his brother John was then bishop, and served as his archdeacon. Upon his brother's death in 631, Braulio succeeded him as bishop. Known for almsgiving and preaching, he was an advisor and confidant of several Visigoth kings, including Chindasuinth, whose son Recceswinth he recommended be installed as associate king.[2]

Braulio worked with Isidore to convert the Visigoths from Arianism.[3] He is reported to have encouraged Isidore of Seville in his encyclopaedic ambitions, and to have had a hand in the revision of his works. Bishop Braulio, to whom Isidore dedicated it and sent it for correction, divided it into its twenty books.[4] Braulio called it quaecunque fere sciri debentur, "practically everything that it is necessary to know".[5]

He was present at the councils of Toledo in 633, 636, and 638 and he responded on behalf of the Iberian clergy to Pope Honorius I's charge that they were neglectful of their duties. He wrote a life of San Millan. Towards the end of his life, he lost his eyesight.[2] He was buried in what is now the church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Zaragoza. He was succeeded as bishop of Zaragoza by Taius (Taio), who had been his pupil.

He is buried in La Seo Cathedral, Zaragoza, and is the patron saint of Aragon and of the University of Zaragoza.[1][6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Braulio of Saragossa", Oxford Quick Reference
  2. ^ a b Weber, Nicholas. "St. Braulio." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 23 April 2020Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Ghezzi, Bert. "Saint Braulio", Voices of the Saints, Loyola PressISBN 978-0-8294-2806-3
  4. ^ Rusche, Philip G. (October 2005). "Isidore's 'Etymologiae' and the Canterbury Aldhelm Scholia". The Journal of English and Germanic Philology. 104 (4): 437–455. JSTOR 27712536
  5. ^ Braulio, Elogium of Isidore appended to Isidore's De viris illustribus
  6. ^ "La Universidad de Zaragoza recupera la fiesta de su patrón San Braulio en versión reducida". heraldo.es (in Spanish). 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2022-08-19.

Sources

External links

Media related to Braulio of Zaragoza at Wikimedia Commons