Who was Alypius of Thagaste?

Alypius of Thagaste was a 4th-century Catholic saint, bishop, and the lifelong friend of Augustine of Hippo. He converted to Christianity alongside Augustine in 386 and subsequently helped establish monastic life in Africa. Most historical knowledge regarding his life comes from Augustine's autobiographical work, Confessions.

What we know

• Alypius served as the bishop of the see of Thagaste in present-day Algeria by the year 394. [2]
• He was a lifelong friend of Augustine of Hippo and joined him in his conversion to Christianity in 386. [2]
• He is credited with helping establish Augustine's monastery in Africa. [2]
• Most historical information about Alypius comes from Augustine's autobiographical work Confessions, which dedicates three chapters of book six to him. [2, 5]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureHow did Augustine influence early Christian philosophy?
• whereWhat was the ancient Roman-Berber city of Thagaste like?
• how we knowWhat details does Augustine's Confessions reveal about his conversion?
• compared withWho were the other historical figures named Alypius in antiquity?
• whenWhat was the history of the Diocese of Thagaste under Vandal rule?
• an unexpected connectionHow does an ancient Algerian city connect to modern Vatican diplomacy?The ancient Roman town of Tagaste survives today as a titular bishop's seat currently held by an active apostolic nuncio to Portugal.

Sources

• [1]Alypius of Thagaste (Wikidata Q2840668) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Alypius of Thagaste · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Thagaste · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Alypius · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Thagaste (diocese) · CC BY-SA 4.0