Editing Pope Sylvester II (section)

==Early life==
Gerbert was born about 946,<ref name="Darlington"/> or at any rate between 945 and 950.<ref>{{harvtxt|Riché|1987|p=18}}</ref> His exact birthplace is unknown, but it must have been in what was then the [[Duchy of Aquitaine]], part of the [[France in the Middle Ages|Kingdom of France]].<ref>{{harvtxt|Riché|1987|p=19}}</ref> More precise proposals include the town of Belliac, near the present-day commune of [[Saint-Simon, Cantal]],<ref name="Darlington">{{harvtxt|Darlington|1947|p=456, footnote 2}}</ref> or [[Aurillac]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kitchin |first=William P.H. |title=A Pope-Philosopher of the Tenth Century: Sylvester II (Gerbert of Aurillac) |publisher=The Catholic Historical Review |year=1992 |edition=Volume 8 No. 1 |pages=46}}</ref> Another speculated location is the province of Auvergne.<ref name="Kitchin 1922 46">{{Cite journal |last=Kitchin |first=William P. H. |date=1922 |title=A Pope-Philosopher of the Tenth Century: Sylvester II (Gerbert of Aurillac) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25006263 |journal=The Catholic Historical Review |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=46 |jstor=25006263 |issn=0008-8080 }}</ref> Gerbert's parents, wanting him to have a quality education, took him to receive instruction at the nearby Benedictine Abbey.<ref name="Kitchin 1922 46"/> Here, Gerbert became a pupil of a monk named Raimund, who admired his desire of knowledge and assisted him in his studies.<ref name="Kitchin 1922 46"/>

Around 963, he entered the [[Monastery of St. Gerald of Aurillac]]. In 967, Count [[Borrell II of Barcelona]] (947–992) visited the monastery, and the abbot asked the count to take Gerbert with him so that the lad could study mathematics in [[Catalonia]] and acquire there some knowledge of Arabic learning. While away from the monastery, Gerbert pursued studies in Barcelona, and also received Arabic instruction at [[Seville]] and [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]].<ref name="Kitchin 1922 46"/>