Who was St. Augustine ?

Saint Augustine (A.D. 354 - 430), also known as Augustine of Hippo, was a bishop of Hippo Regius in Northern Africa. He was an ancient Christian theologian who played a significant role in the development of early Western philosophy--marked by the merging of Greek philosophy and Judeo-Christian religious traditions.

He had an intellectual fascination for philosophical inquiries, and spent his early life exploring various philosophical and religious theories. Even though regarded as one of the foremost figures of Western Christianity, he had not even converted to the religion until he was 31 years old.

He is one of the most important early figures in bringing Christianity to the forefront in the Roman Empire. His writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy.

Augustine is remarkable for what he did, and extraordinary for what he wrote. He was one of the most prolific Latin authors in terms of surviving works, and the list of his works consists of more than one hundred separate titles. The story of his conversion, told in his book Confessions, is one of the greatest Christian testimonies of all time.

Augustine is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church. He was canonized by popular acclaim, and later recognized as a Doctor of the Church in 1303 by Pope Boniface VIII.

His feast day is August 28, the day on which he is thought to have died in 430 AD.

Roman Catholics consider him the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, sore eyes, and a number of cities and dioceses.

His work continues to hold contemporary relevance, in part because of his membership in a religious group that was dominant in the West in his time.

Augustine remains a central figure, both within Christianity and in the history of Western thought.