St. Ambrose was born toward the end of the Roman Empire in 339 AD, in what is now Germany.

He died in Milan, Italy 58 years later, but in that short time he dynamically transformed the Church.

Catholics and Christians celebrate his Feast Day on December 7, for several important reasons.

Ambrose was a biblical critic, doctor of the church, and initiator of ideas that provided a model for medieval conceptions of church-state relations.

His literary works have been acclaimed as masterpieces of Latin eloquence, and his musical accomplishments are celebrated through his hymns.

Ambrose is also remembered as the teacher who converted and baptized St. Augustine of Hippo, the great Christian theologian, and as a model bishop who viewed the church as rising above the ruins of the Roman Empire (which fell in 395 AD).

He is the patron saint of Milan and of beekeepers.

Explore the Saint’s complete history at Britannica.com.

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