Ildefons of Toledo

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St. Ildefons, altarpiece by El Greco (around 1604)

Ildefons (* around 607 in Toledo ; † January 23, 667 ) was Archbishop of Toledo from 657 to 667. He is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches .

Life

Ildefons came from the Visigothic upper class, his Gothic name Hildefuns means 'the fighter'. He was born around 607 and was a nephew of Eugenius III. of Toledo and a disciple of St. Isidore of Seville . At a young age he entered the Agali monastery, a settlement of regular canons near Toledo. During his time there, Ildefons founded and financed a nunnery and later became head of the monastery of Agali. In this office, he was among the signatories of the decisions of the councils of Toledo of 653 and 655. In 657 he was from the Visigoth king Rekkesvinth as archbishop called of Toledo, a post which he held until his death.

Ildefons was famous for his great eloquence and is highly revered in Spain as "Alonso". He was a writer and continued the Gothic chronicle of Isidore. He wrote several theological works, but also tried his hand at poetry. His most famous work was De Viris illustribus . He contributed a lot to the veneration of the Virgin Mary in Spain.

Adoration

Ildefons died on January 23, 667. His relics are in the Basilica of Santa Leocadia in Toledo. Remembrance day is January 23rd . Ildefons is depicted either in the habit of a religious or in the regalia of a bishop. His attributes are book and pen, miter and crook , rochette and mozzetta and a portrait of the Madonna. A frequent subject is the miraculous handing over of the priest's or bishop's robe by the Mother of God.

Many churches on the Iberian Peninsula and in the Spanish-Portuguese colonial empire are under the patronage of St. Subordinate to Ildefons, including the Jesuit Church of San Ildefonso in Toledo.

Fonts

His writings were published in Mignes Patrologia latina (PL 96).

  • De virorum illustrium scriptis
    contains his autobiography
  • Libellus de virginitate p. Mariae contra tres infideles
  • Sermo in the s. Mariae

New editions:

  • Carmen Codoñer Merino (ed.): El "De Viris Illustribus" de Ildefonso de Toledo. Estudio y edición crítica, Coleccion EF, 1972

literature

  • Gustav von Dzialowski: Isidor and Ildefons as literary historians: a source-critical examination of the writings "de viris illustribus" of Isidore of Seville and Ildefons of Toledo. Dissertation. Schöningh, Münster 1898.
  • J. Madoz: S. Ildefonso de Toledo. In: Estudios Eclesiásticos. Volume 26, 1952, pp. 467-505.
  • JF Rivera: S. Ildefonso de Toledo, author de un sermón de filiación dudosa. In: Revista Española de Teología. Volume 6, 1946, pp. 537-588.
  • JM Cascante: Doctrina mariana de S. Ildefonso de Toledo. Barcelona 1958.
  • L. Robles: Anotaciones a la obra de S. Ildefonso "De cognitione baptismi". In: Teología Espiritual. Volume 13, 1969, pp. 379-457.
  • JF Rivera: San Ildefonso de Toledo. Biografía, época y posteridad. Editorial Católica, Madrid 1985.
  • Karin Groll:  Ildefons of Toledo. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 2, Bautz, Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-032-8 , Sp. 1262-1263.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )

Web links

Commons : Ildefons of Toledo  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hans-Peter Hebel: Christians, Jews and Muslims. The Spain of the three cultures. Book workshop, Munich 2012, p. 44: "This is how the bishops of Toledo emerged from the Agali monastery over generations."
personal data
SURNAME Ildefons of Toledo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hildefuns (Gothic)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Archbishop of Toledo (658–667), saint
DATE OF BIRTH at 607
PLACE OF BIRTH Toledo
DATE OF DEATH January 23, 667