St Augustine was bishop of Hippo Regius (modern Annaba in Algeria). His mother was a passionate Christian and his father a committed pagan. Their son reconciled the religious traditions of his parents. He showed that Greek (ie pagan) philosophy could help to interpret the revealed religion of Christianity. After what he saw as a libertine youth, Augustine began to move towards his mother's faith. His conversion took place in a garden in Milan. This 'garden scene' was described in his Confessions and was often chosen as a frontispiece to editions of his work. Augustine is regarded as the greatest Christian thinker of antiquity, the transmitter of Plato and Aristotle to medieval and renaissance Christianity.
