St Isidore. Bishop of Sevilla. Doctor of the Church

Berkeley, Friday, March 27, 2026 2:47 AM

Feast: April 4

Day 1. March 27, Well, it is quite late. But I am so happy to start this cycle of novenas has given the opportunity to learn, even if a bit, about St. Isidore. Would see how much I can do, and how much I can learn about Saint Isidore from his friend and disciple Saint Braulio.

I have been quite a fan of Saint Isidore.

St. Braulio said about Saint Isidore: “he appeared to specially have been raised up by God to stem the current of barbarism and ferocity which everywhere followed the arms of the Goths who had settled in Spain.” [1]

Day 2. March 28. Well, something about the name, but plenty about himself and his family. Although, I have not say yet when he was born. To place in context, Saint Isidoro was born circa 560.

His Father name was Severiano. A roman name during the Visigoth Kingdom.

Anyways a few interesting facts I learned is that four of Severiano children are saints. That is impressive. I might need to study this family. Three sons were bishops and saints. Their names were Leander, Isidore, and Fulgentius (I would use the Hispanic names once I learn them for sure). They probably were Leandro, Isidore, and Fulgencio. Oh. He was San Leandro. Wow.

Severiano daughter, and the fourth saint of his children was Florentina. Beautiful name. All of those are beautiful names. I love the name Isidore.

A random fact, I learned that an uncle from St. Therese of Lisieux name was Isidore Guérin.

San Leandro was an older brother of San Isidoro. He was quite tough. It seems that sometimes he clustered San Isidore to stay in a cell to study. Once San Isidore escaped, and was reflecting on rock holes made by dropping water. He came back. It takes quite a “temple” to become a Bishop and a Saint I believe. Consulted sources [1 & 6], but also briefly and to expand learning here sources from each of San Isidoro siblings, including himself. [2 , 3, 4, 5].

I believe they were born in Cartagena, Spain. Or Campo Cartagena. Or Cartago Nova. This is in the current region (?) of Murcia.

Day 3. March 29. 9:56 PM. Temporary learning note. I learned that the older brother from San Isidoro, San Leandro, was a key figure, while being a Bishop of Seville, in the expansion of the practice of reciting the Nicene Creed.

*I updated the category of the novenas. It was novem before.

It is great to see the stats, and searches. I have been learning a bit about the structure of a wordpress site. It is cold that a category is organized as a subpage with all the post on it. At some point I might have a look to the categories, and structure, and posts of this website. I saw that there are about 56 pages of 8 post per page. Each post might be a page or more. So, easily this blog is currently around 500 pages. I realized I have left some drafts as well.

Back to the topic, according to the good reference [1], regardless how strict were the teaching and behaving methods from Saint Isidore’s older brother Saint Leandro. It worked. Saint Isidore was the most learned man of his age. [1]. (How to measure that? It is a complement). And probably more remarkable, because he lived during Visigoth Arianism times, he was an ardent educationist. It resulted into converted Visigoths from Arianism to Catholicism during the thirty-seven years of his episcopate, which extended through the reigns of six kings. This task started his brother, Saint Leandro. So probably he assisted his brother in the Diocese of Sevilla, and succeeded him as a Bishop after San Leandro death. Both of them were very important figures in Spain and in the Catholic Church.

Day 4. March 30. 11:02 PM. Some notes from [1]. Saint Isidore presided over the second Council of Seville in 619 and over the fourth Council of Toledo in 633.

There is plenty of praise from the author Butler [1] towards Saint Isidore. He said that while he was a bishop in Seville, he was given precedence in the fourth Council over the archbishop of Toledo on the ground of his exceptional merit as the greatest teacher in Spain.

It seems that a focus of Saint Isidore at the time was to weave theology, history, and science. Also, in that council was dictated that a seminary or cathedral school should be established in every diocese.

Back to the topic, Saint Isidore vision of the unity of religion and a comprehensive educational system was key in the cultural development of Spain. He focused on a syllabus were liberal arts, medicine, and law were to be taught in Hebrew and Greek. Also, Aristotle was to be studied in the Spanish schools long before he was reintroduced by the arabs. [1]

Again, I am a huge fan of Saint Isidore. Of course, it would take time to learn the classics. An issue would be to forget about them thinking that one can describe things based only on data. See the stories write by John McPhee for instance. A great writer, writing a sort of physical and quantitative discipline, such as geomorphology, in lay words, critical thinking, and observations. I have a post, which is still just a reference entry in this blog, named Los Angeles Against The Mountains. The content is about controlling nature and debris flow. Equations are great, but without an eye for its meaning, they are nothing.

The author Butler [1], until the point I read, and I might interpret, attributes Saint Isidore, which I would say also to the Lord, his parents, his siblings, but it seems in particular his brother San Leandro. But he attributes to those syllabus, those decisions, this founding Cathedral schools and/or seminaries. This blending of theology, religion, classics, science, medicine. He attributes that to the cultural flourishing of Spain, when as the author says, Europe was lapsing into barbarism. [1]. I am also curious about the definition of barbarism.

From older learnings, I recall that the Sephardic Jews, Muslims, and catholics flourished in Spain before the 1600s? See the mosque of Cordoba. Unfortunately, I cannot invest more time in diving deeper of Saint Isidore living and cultural time and space, but with a few notes per day, while still possible, I might continue learning a bit more about history.

Day 5. April 1. 3:03 AM I might be able to do nine days or at least 8 days. But I just lost my focus now with checking something, although less than a minute to log in into instagram. There is a beauty of the continue working on a task. Then writing about Saint Isidore is a distraction? A bit yes, if I consult several sources. But I have usually narrow down it to a few.

Another distraction: the world cup. I must stay fully focused. And that is disrespectful to write here. i saw which teams qualified today. I love the prayer at the beginning of the liturgy of the hours. Otherwise, there are so many distractions. In any case, writing and study, and working in a serious life, takes a lot of focus.

A paragraph which I will complete tomorrow. But it will great to read his original works. Rather than repeating the titles I see that he wrote about several topics including a breviary, which San Leandro began. Saint Isidore wrote encyclopedias, cultural history, anthropology (might be) of Goths, Vandals and Suevi. Physical Geography. Ecclesisatical documents. And more.

Saint Isidore please intersect to Lord to find my space to be as productive as you, or to only follow your example to write in my current situation, but I would also need guidance in my next steps. My learnings so far in this life is that we do not live for ourselves. As long that the self becomes a matter of searching a job with a specific focus, or activities that might deviate form the Lord’s plan, then it is harder to understand the meaning of productive. This life is a shared communal place. We give what the Lord has given to us. We respond to with works to that grace.

Lord have mercy. Be my light and my guide.

I see that San Isidoro wrote in Latin. I see some translations in several languages. Etimologias seems to one of his most translated books. I found another interesting book he wrote titled Imitacion de Cristo.

A comment, which I hope might not produce trouble. Thus, San Isidoro was a very productive writer and bishop, but the writer is the key part by imitating Our Lord? Well, the imitation I would guess is that give fully the self, plus the full disclosure and transparency. I was reading about some founding companies, which I understand the secrecy. Even the Lord, at some point asked do not say to anyone, for instance of the transfiguration. Things I would need to learn in deep. But at the end is that the end everything, at least if one keeps track and lives with purpose, everything comes to light.

Well, again. Plenty to learn regarding Saint Isidore. Time might be the problem.

Day 6. April 2. 2026 2:29 AM At almost 80 years of old, he continued with his charitable works. From morning to night his house was crowded. Clothed in the habit of the forgiveness of sins, he received viaticum. He, a saint, asked the Lord for the forgiveness of his sins. Provided charitable works for the poor. Distributed his possessions. Forgave to his debtors. Passed away on that day after doing those things [1]. The reference does not mention the specific date, though.

Day 7. April 2. 2026 11:18 PM. Life is becoming too though. And I am getting complicated with the multiple scheduling and tasks. But this is not about me.

Good news. I will finish the novena.

Saint Isidore was declared Doctor of the Church in 1722. He is named in Mazarabic mass. What is that? It seems it was still in use in Toledo, Spain in the 1960s. [1] Some sources about Saint Isidore: Venerable Bede. And Saint Braulio, his disciple. [1]

More questions? When he was born? Complete the prayer. When he passed away? What was his mother’s name?

This might be the last novena? Also, I read the word saints in the Psalms.

Day 8. April 4. 2026 0:49 AM

Happy feast Saint Isidore. Pray for me, please.

Entering now into Holy Saturday. The Dark times of the Lord. But plenty of work might have happened as well. How the Lord executed the command to the angel to open the rock of the cave? The Lord, Jesus might have been still asleep during this time until about 19 hours and ten minutes from now.

Also, sometimes is not mere coincidence that a feast fall in this important day in the liturgical calendar. It might be. There are important feast coming up in 40 and 50 days from now.

Did Jesus had everything lay out. I meant he was extremely obedient of course. But does he Had full knowledge of each step. No can can access through the Father, but through Jesus is that correct? Jesus is the truth and the way of life.

Is the mind of the father in synchrony with the mind Jesus, particularly when he was a human?

Back to Saint Isidore, I assume that this might not be the first time since the time his feast was established that falls on Holy Saturday or Saturday of resurrection.

A few additional facts I learned. He was born around the year 560. He died in 636 [1].

Day 9 April 4 1:09 AM. I continue with the editing. Happy feast St. Isidore. I am not sure if I can add something tomorrow.

A quote from his book Etymologies bk. 6, ch. 7, sect. 3, as cited in [8]:

However Augustine surpassed the zeal of all these by his genius and wisdom. For he wrote so much that no one is able in the days and nights even to read his books, far less to write them.

St. Augustine was a big fan of Saint Vicente de Zaragosa.

San Isidore was alive about 300 years after Saint Augustine life.

I see, how important is to climb the statues of the prior generations. Well Newton said “I was standing on the shoulder of giants”.

It might not be for their physical height, although, it might apply a bit to me. It is of course, first to learn everything that is out there within one’s field.

Well, I got one out of two books I requested from Saint Isidore. This is Etymologiae XIX. I found fascinating that he was asking about everything and tracing back the etymology of it.

I read a bit of redes or net. It come from restes (cuerdas) or strings.

In point 25, he talked about external clothes of women. Interesting focus. He start with regillum or dressing. He talked about palla.

He also talked about estola, which covers her head and back. It is wore from right shoulder to left shoulder. he spoke Greek. I don’t. But I see he was tracing the origins of this tradition. So looking to it in older languages. So the Greek name is related to cover. In latin is ricinium, because half of it is throw to the back (reicitur). In vulgar is mauors, which comes from Mars, because this is a symbol of dignity and marriage rights. Man is the head of woman. That is because is wore on the head. A footnote says stola was part of women dressing in Roma as toga was characteristic for men. Further he talked about the tradition of weaing this in Arabia and Mesopotamia, covered with an umbriculo effective in summer. Then, he said that Isiah mentioned about el chal de toquilla de lino, which woman use on their shoulders. Latinos and Greek call it sindon. According to footnote see Is. 2, 3, 22. Good track of references.

In 24, he talked about men clothes: palio (pallium), toga.

Paño doble, and cited Horacio about this.

Cenefa, and cited Virgilio, regarding that. I guess Isidore wrote a very detail dictionary or encyclopedia of everything. He had some field observation, but also some context observation from literature, and he kept adding to it. It is a good translation. To be honest, I wanted an example of his writings. I might check briefly the other example called Imitation of Christ. But I spent a few minutes reading about the stola or why some woman cover their heads, which I more or less keep learned. This was a quick skim of to learn more about Saint Isidore works. I did not go in detail, and I am a bit tired now. Reference [9].

See [10]. A beautiful book. Imitacion de Cristo, which was dedicated to his friend Saint Braulio. Saint Isidore struggled quite a bit on day to day, if I were to read it carefully. Only with virtue one defeat vice. This is not from the book. But one must try hard to do well in this life.

Prayer:

Lord,

hear the prayers I offer in commemoration of Saint Isidore.

May our Church learn from his teaching and benefit from his interecession.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. [7]

References:

[1] Thurston, Herbert S.J. and Donald Attwater. 1963 Butler’s Lives of the Saint. Complete Edition. Edited, revised and supplemented by Herbert Thurston, S.J. and Donald Attwater. PJ Kenedy & Sons. New York

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isidore_of_Seville

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Florentina

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leander_of_Seville

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgentius_of_Cartagena

[6] St Thérèse of Lisieux, O.C.D. 2019. Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux. Study Edition. (trans.) John Clarke, O.C.D. Prepared by Mary Foley, O.C.D. ICS Publications. Institute of Carmelite Studies. Washington D.C.

[7] Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of The Hours, 1976. Catholic Book Publishing Corp. New York. Edition with Music. English Translation Prepared by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy.

[8] “St Isidore of Seville.” In Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, edited by Knowles, Elizabeth. : Oxford University Press, 2014. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199668700.001.0001/q-author-00010-00001728.

[9] Isidore. Etimologías. Libro XIX, De naves, edificios y vestidos / Isidoro de Sevilla ; introducción, edición crítica, traducción y notas por Miguel Rodríguez-Pantoja. Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1995.

[10] San Isidoro. Imitacion de Cristo. Traducido de Latin por Bartolome Esteban Murillo en la Catedral Hispalense. Year it should be around 600.