Conversion and Conflict with His Father
Hermenegild was born in Toledo and raised an Arian, as was the ruling Visigothic house. In 579 he married Ingund, daughter of the Frankish king Sigebert I of Austrasia. Ingund was a Catholic and resisted pressure from Hermenegild's stepmother, Goiswintha, to renounce her faith.
Sent south by his father to govern, Hermenegild came under the spiritual influence of Leander, Bishop of Seville, the elder brother of the celebrated Isidore of Seville. Through this connection he converted to the Orthodox faith and rejected the Arianism of his family. His father Liuvigild, remaining Arian, sought by large promises and by threats to reverse the conversion, but Hermenegild steadfastly refused, and was imprisoned in chains.
Revolt, Captivity, and Death
By tradition Hermenegild led a revolt against his father around 580, seeking support from the Byzantine Empire, which was preoccupied with the Sasanian threat, and from the Suebi, who were compelled to capitulate by 583. When Seville fell under siege he withdrew to Córdoba; according to the account, his father paid the Byzantines thirty thousand gold pieces to withdraw, and Ingund and her son were taken away. After a temporary peace negotiated by his brother Reccared, renewed family tension led to Hermenegild's imprisonment.
During Easter, while imprisoned, Hermenegild refused communion brought by an Arian bishop, receiving instead the sacraments from an Orthodox priest. On learning of this, his father ordered his execution, and he was put to death by beheading. The sources place his death on April 13, while the Orthodox Church commemorates him on November 1; the anchor record notes the year as 586, though the historical accounts date his death to 585.
Legacy
Though Liuvigild himself never converted, the martyrdom of his son is credited with moving Hermenegild's brother Reccared, who succeeded their father. Reccared embraced the Orthodox faith and led the Visigothic nation to abandon Arianism, so that Hermenegild came to be regarded as instrumental in the establishment of the faith among the Goths.
His commemoration as a martyr rests chiefly on the Dialogues of Pope St. Gregory the Great, which record that he died for refusing communion from an Arian bishop and that miracles followed his death. Later Western recognition of his cult was authorized for Spain in 1585 under Pope Sixtus V and afterward extended more widely; he is honored as patron saint of Seville.
Miracles & Traditions
Historically Documented: The account of Hermenegild's martyrdom is preserved in the Dialogues of Pope St. Gregory the Great, which report that miracles were manifested at his tomb following his death.
Traditional Accounts: By tradition, angels were heard singing over his holy relics after his beheading, and his father is said eventually to have repented.
