Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430) is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity and philosophy. Born in Thagaste (modern Algeria), he led a dissolute youth before his dramatic conversion to Christianity in Milan in 386, heavily influenced by Saint Ambrose and his own mother, Saint Monica.
His two most famous works are the Confessions — an autobiographical account of his conversion and a profound meditation on the soul's restlessness apart from God — and The City of God, a monumental work of Christian philosophy written in response to the sack of Rome in 410.
His famous prayer — "Lord, make me chaste, but not yet" — captures the struggle of a soul torn between the world and God. His equally famous insight — "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You" — remains one of the most quoted lines in spiritual literature.
He is the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, the alleviation of sore eyes, and a number of cities and dioceses.
