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Spanish Renaissance composer, renowned as the most significant polyphonist of the Iberian Peninsula and a master of sacred choral music.Born in Ávila, Spain, Victoria likely received early musical training as a choirboy at Ávila Cathedral. He traveled to Rome around 1565, possibly studying with Palestrina. Ordained a priest in 1575, he served at the Collegium Germanicum and other Roman churches. In 1587, he returned to Spain as chaplain and maestro di capilla to Empress Maria, sister of Philip II, at the Descalzas Reales convent in Madrid, where he remained until his death.

• Victoria is unique among major Renaissance composers for being an ordained Catholic priest, deeply influencing the spiritual intensity of his sacred works.
• He personally financed the publication of his final collection of music in 1605, a significant and costly undertaking at the time.
• In later years, Victoria requested a transfer away from his demanding duties as maestro di capilla at the Descalzas Reales, citing exhaustion, though he stayed as chaplain.
• He died in the chaplain's residence at the Descalzas Reales convent in Madrid; the exact cause of death is unknown but attributed to natural causes/old age.