Ildefonsus of Toledo
A Benedictine monk who rose from abbot to archbishop in the foremost city of Visigothic Hispania, he is best remembered for his passionate defense of the perpetual virginity of the Virgin Mary and for the legendary vision in which the Mother of God appeared to him.
- Early Middle Ages
- Feast day January 23
- † 669
- Bishop
- Monk
- Confessor
- Theologian
Saint Ildefonsus, born around 607 in Toledo, is a major figure in the Visigothic Church of Spain. Nephew of Bishop Eugenius II of Toledo, he was educated in Seville by Saint Isidore. He entered the Agali monastery near Toledo at a young age, where he became abbot. In 657, he was elected Metropolitan Archbishop of Toledo. A prolific theologian, he is famous for his writings defending the perpetual virginity of Mary, notably his major work 'On the Perpetual Virginity of Holy Mary against Three Unbelievers'. Legend holds that the Virgin Mary appeared to him in Toledo Cathedral to thank him, presenting him with a celestial chasuble, an event celebrated in Spanish art and piety. He is one of the Fathers of the Visigothic Church and was an ardent promoter of Marian devotion. He died in 669.