Alypius is a saint not through an official declaration of the Church, but by Augustinian tradition. His feast day is listed on the official calendar of the church as being 16th May each year, in conjunction with that of Possidius, another of the contemporaries of Augustine.
Alypius came from Thagaste (today Souk Ahras, Algeria). He shared with Augustine the same errors of youth, the same conversion, the same community life and similar duties as a priest and bishop. He was born in the same town as Augustine, and was younger than he was. Augustine was his teacher in Carthage. Despite the differences of age and education, friendship was the key to their relationship.
Augustine wrote, "He was very fond of me, because he thought me good and learned, and I was very fond of him because of his natural tendency toward virtue which was really remarkable in one so young." (Confessions 6, 121) They shared a love of learning, and, according to Augustine, "together with me he was in a state of mental confusion as to what way of life we should take." (Confessions 6, 126-127) In his student days at Carthage, Augustine influenced him to become a Manichean.
Alypius moved on to Rome, and was a lawyer when they met again in Rome during the year 397. There Alypius had a weakness for the circus games, which he gave up immediately after a rebuke from Augustine. The influence of Alypius discouraged Augustine from marriage, as Alypius held that marriage would interfere with the opportunity for Augustine to talk about and to search for wisdom with his friends. It turned out that Augustine ended up making Alypius curious about marriage himself, although he did not take the step. (Confessions 6, 12)
Augustine described Alypius as a religious person with a great sense of justice, but one addiction in him that Augustine noted and tried to have him cease was the attending of spectacles that involved blood and cruelty.
Additional page For a further page about Alypius in another section of Augnet, click here.
LinksAlypius. From the website of the Midwest Augustinians, USA.http://www.midwestaugustinians.org/saints_alypiuspossidius.html
Alypius. Augustinian Province of California. (Alypius and Possidius share this web page.)http://osa-west.org/?s=possidiusAN3303