After the death of his parents, Fructuosus first sought instruction from the Bishop of Palencia[3] before retiring as a hermit to a desert in Galicia.

Many pupils gathered around him, and thus originated the monastery of Complutum in the El Bierzo region, over which he himself at first presided, later, he appointed an abbot and again retired into the desert.

"[5] Fructuosus established Rufiana or the Monasterium Rufianense[6] in El Bierzo, as well as a monastery known as Visoniense and another known as Peonense.

Punishments here were also unusually harsh and included flogging and imprisonment within the monastery on a diet of six ounces of bread for three to six months.

The last will and testament of the recently deceased bishop Riccimer, was disputed by those who saw his freeing of slaves and distribution of church rents to the poor was responsible for the subsequent impoverishment of that see.

At the same council, Archbishop Potamius of Braga was remanded to a monastery for licentiousness and his archdiocese was given to Fructuosus on 1 December 656.

[9] Fructuosus dressed so poorly as to be mistaken for a slave and he even received a beating from a peasant, from which he was only saved by a miracle (according to the monastic chroniclers).