6th century
Saint Leander, Bishop of Seville
Bishop of Seville (c. 534–600) from an aristocratic family, who helped bring the Visigoths of Spain from Arianism to the orthodox faith.
Biography
Leander was born around 534 into an aristocratic Spanish family, brother of the future bishop and encyclopedist Isidore. He became a monk and in 579 bishop of Seville, where he founded a celebrated theological school.
He helped the Visigothic prince Hermenegild embrace the orthodox faith, which brought him into conflict with Hermenegild's father, the Arian king Liuvigild, and led to his exile in Constantinople, where he formed a close friendship with the future Pope Gregory the Great.
After Liuvigild's death in 589, Leander helped bring about the conversion of the new king Reccared and presided over the Council of Toledo, where the Visigoths formally renounced Arianism.