Family and Formation
Braulio was born into a Hispano-Roman noble family closely bound to the Church. His father, Gregory, was Bishop of Osma, and his siblings also held key ecclesiastical positions; his brother John served as Bishop of Zaragoza before him.
He took monastic vows in 610. In 624 he was ordained by Isidore of Seville and joined the clergy of Seville, studying at Isidore's school and collaborating extensively with his teacher. In 625 he returned to Zaragoza to serve as archdeacon under his brother John.
Bishop of Zaragoza
Around 631 Braulio succeeded his brother John as Bishop of Zaragoza, an office he held until his death about 651. His former pupil Taius (Taio) succeeded him in the see.
He took part in the Councils of Toledo held in 633, 636, and 638, and acted as a political advisor to the Visigothic kings, including Chindasuinth, recommending Recceswinth as associate king.
He responded to Pope Honorius I concerning the duties of Iberian clergy and addressed pastoral questions regarding baptized Jews who had lapsed. Together with Isidore he worked to convert the Visigoths from Arianism. Toward the end of his life he lost his eyesight.
Editor of the Etymologiae
Isidore of Seville dedicated his encyclopedic Etymologiae (also called Origines) to Braulio and sent him the unedited manuscript near the end of his life for correction. It was Braulio who divided the work into its canonical twenty books.
The manuscript appears to have begun circulating before Braulio could fully revise and issue it with a dedication to the late Visigothic king Sisebut. Braulio's editorial role was essential to the Etymologiae reaching its finished form, and he had earlier encouraged Isidore to undertake the work.
Writings
Braulio's most celebrated hagiographical work is the Life of Aemilian of Cogolla (Vita Sancti Aemiliani), written roughly a century after the hermit's death (Aemilian died c. 573). In it Braulio records Aemilian's origins in Vergaja, identified with Berceo in La Rioja, his early life as a shepherd, his spiritual development, and the miracles reported after his death.
A collection of forty-four of his letters survives, discovered in an eighteenth-century manuscript in León. The Acts of the Martyrs of Saragossa are attributed to him, and he may also have written the Passio S. Leocadiae.
Relics and Veneration
Braulio is recorded as buried at the Church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar in Zaragoza, also noted as La Seo Cathedral.
He is venerated in both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, and is honored as patron of Zaragoza, Aragon, and the University of Zaragoza. His feast is kept on 26 March, and on 18 March in Spain.
