Anselm, St 1033-1109
Italian theologian and philosopher

He was born near Aosta, Piedmont. He left Italy in 1056, and in 1078 he became abbot of the Abbey of Bec, in Normandy, then was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1093. Frequently in conflict over Church rights, first with William II (William Rufus), then with Henry I, his resoluteness led to his being exiled by both kings, but in 1107 he threatened excommunication, and a compromise was reached. A follower of Augustine, Anselm was a major figure in early scholastic philosophy, remembered especially for his theory of atonement and his ontological proof for the existence of God. He defined God as 'something than which nothing greater can be conceived'. Since anything that exists in reality is by nature greater than anything that exists only in the mind, God must exist in reality, for otherwise he would not be 'the greatest conceivable being'. He was possibly canonized in 1163 and his feast day is 21 April.