born 0441; 560, Cartagena or Sevilla, Spain
died April 4, 636, Sevilla; canonized 1598; feast day April 4
Spanish prelate and scholar, last of the Western Fathers of the Church.
He became archbishop of Sevilla 0441; 600 and presided over several councils that shaped church policy, including the fourth Council of Toledo (633). He also promoted the conversion of the Visigoth s from Arianism to orthodox Christianity. His best-known work was Etymologies , an encyclopedia that became a standard reference work in the Middle Ages. He also wrote theological works, biographies, and treatises on natural science, cosmology, and history. He was canonized in 1598 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1722.