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St. Isidore of Seville

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Religious Figure

The Resume

    (circa 560-April 4, 636)
    Born in Cartagena, Spain
    Proposed patron saint of the internet
    Bishop of Seville for 40 years
    Wrote ‘Etymologiae,’ the first European encyclopedia and a standard reference work for 900 years
    Represented by bees, a pen and a book
    Feast day is April 4

Why he might be annoying:

    He was little known before the Vatican's proposal to make him the protector of web users (1999).
    His powerful family was related to the Visigoth rulers that took over Spain.
    The proposal to choose a patron saint for the internet was much joked about in the media.
    One of his early competitors for internet patronage was St. Clare, patron saint of television.
    Much of his encyclopedia was unverified material taken from Roman sources.
    He is better known as a compiler of other people’s ideas than an original thinker.
    He supported penalties against Jews who did not convert.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was raised by a strict older brother who locked him in a cell for neglecting his schoolwork.
    His 20 volume encyclopedia has been compared to a modern database.
    He tried reconciling the Spanish people and their Visigoth conquerors to keep the country united.
    He fought to keep literacy and learning alive when Europe was being overrun by barbarians.
    His three siblings Leander, Fulgentius and Florentina became saints too.
    Vinton Cerf, one of the founders of the internet, said, ‘Considering all the challenges facing the Internet, having a patron saint doesn’t sound like a bad idea.’
    Prayer for internet users:
    Almighty and eternal God, who created us in Thy image and bade us to seek after all that is good, true and beautiful, especially in the divine person of Thy only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee that, through the intercession of Saint Isidore, bishop and doctor, during our journeys through the internet we will direct our hands and eyes only to that which is pleasing to Thee and treat with charity and patience all those souls whom we encounter. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Credit: Georgina


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 236 Votes: 47.88% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 35.71% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 93 Votes: 49.46% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 103 Votes: 46.60% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 18 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 21 Votes: 47.62% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 22.22% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 223 Votes: 45.74% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 66 Votes: 36.36% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 88 Votes: 35.23% Annoying