Braulio of Zaragoza

Saint Braulio of Zaragoza was born around 585 in Hispania to a noble Hispano-Roman family. His father, Gregory, served as Bishop of Osma, and Braulio grew up amid a household devoted to the Church. In 610 he embraced the monastic habit, and later studied in Seville under the great Archbishop Isidore, whose passion for teaching helped strengthen the faith in a turbulent Visigothic age. Ordained by Isidore in 624, Braulio served the Church of Seville before returning to Zaragoza to assist his brother, Bishop John, as archdeacon. When John died, Braulio became bishop in 631. He was renowned for austerity, generous almsgiving, and clear preaching, and he counseled Visigothic rulers, encouraging reforms for the good of the people and the Church. He also labored with Isidore to overcome Arianism and helped shape Isidore’s great work by organizing it into twenty books. Near the end of his life he lost his sight, and he died in 651, honored as a wise pastor and learned writer. He is patron of Híjar. His feast day is March 26.