Erkenwald
enseignant à des moines. Initiale enluminée du bréviaire de Chertsey (début
du XIVe siècle).
St. Erkenwald instructing monks. A historiated initial from the Chertsey Breviary (Bodley Ms Lat. liturg. d. 42, f. 46rv).
Saint Erconwald
Évêque de Londres (+ v.
693)
Issu d'une famille princière d'Angle de l'Est, il utilisa une grande partie de sa fortune pour fonder deux monastères, l’un pour les hommes, à Barking, qu’il gouverna lui-même, l’autre pour les femmes, à qui il donna pour abbesse sa sœur Éthelburge. A la mort de l'évêque de Londres en 675, il fut appelé à ce siège par saint Théodore, archevêque de Canterbury. Il est réputé pour la grande sainteté de sa vie.
À Barking en Angleterre, l’an 693, le trépas de saint Erconwald, évêque de
Londres, qui fonda deux monastères, l’un pour les hommes, à Barking, qu’il
gouverna lui-même, l’autre pour les femmes, à qui il donna pour abbesse sa sœur
sainte Éthelburge.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/10761/Saint-Erconwald.html
Depiction
of St Erkenwald in stained glass at Wells Cathedral
Also
known as
Earconvaldo
Erkenwald
Erkenwold
Erkonwald
The Light of London
14
November translation of his relics
24 April on
some calendars
13 May on
some calendars
Profile
May have been related to
royalty. Benedictine monk.
Founded Chertsey
Abbey in Surrey, England,
and served as its first abbot.
Founded a convent at
Barking, Essex, England;
his sister, Saint Ethelburga
of Barking, served as its abbess.
Appointed bishop of
the East Saxons by Saint Theodore
of Canterbury in 675;
his see was in London.
Suffered from severe gout,
but continually travelled through
his diocese.
His shrine was
a pilgrimage site
in the Middle Ages, and the sick were miraculously cured by
touching the chair he used for travel.
Born
in 7th
century East
Anglia, England
interred in
Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London
re-interred in
the crypt following the fire of 1087
relics translated
to a new shrine on 14
November 1148
relics translated
to a new shrine on 1
February 1326
in England
Brentwood,
city of
bishop in
a small chariot,
which he used for travelling his diocese
with Saint Ethelburga
of Barking
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Catholic
Encyclopedia, by Columba Edmonds
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Roman
Martyrology, 1914 edition
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Oxford Dictionary of Saints, by David Hugh Farmer
Saints
and Their Attributes, by Helen Roeder
other
sites in english
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
MLA
Citation
“Saint Erconwald of
London“. CatholicSaints.Info. 13 March 2024. Web. 8 April 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-erconwald-of-london/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-erconwald-of-london/
A
window at Wells Cathedral; the heads depict Pope Stephen, St Blaise, St
Erkenwald, and Pope Marcellus.
Erconwald of London, OSB
B
(also known as Erkenwald)
Born in East Anglia; died
in London, c. 686; second feast day on April 30. In 675, Saint Theodore of
Canterbury appointed Erconwald bishop of the East Saxons with his see in
London. His shrine in Saint Paul's Cathedral was a much visited pilgrimage site
during the Middle Ages, but little is known of his life except that he founded
a monastery at Chertsey in Surrey and a convent at Barking in Essex. He
appointed his sister, Ethelburga, abbess of the latter, while he governed the
former. Erconwald took some part int he reconciliation of Saint Theodore with
Saint Wilfrid (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopedia). Erconwald is portrayed in
art as a bishop in a small 'chariot' (the Saxon equivalent of a bath chair) in
which he travelled because of his gout. Sometimes there is a woman touching it
or he may be shown with Saint Ethelburga of Barking (Roeder). Erconwald is
invoked against gout (Roeder).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0513.shtml
A 1932 copy of the medieval poem 'Erkenwald'
St. Erconwald
Bishop of London,
died about 690. He belonged to the princely family of
the East Anglian Offa,
and devoted a considerable portion of his patrimony to founding two monasteries,
one for monks at Chertsey,
and the other for nuns at
Barking in Essex. Over the latter he placed hiss sister, St. Ethelburga,
as abbess.
He himself discharged the duties of
superior at Chertsey. Erconwald continued his monastic life till
the death of Bishop Wini in 675, when he was called to the See
of London, at the instance of King Sebbi and Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury.
As monk and bishop he
was renowned for his holiness of life,
and miracles were
wrought in attestation of his sanctity.
The sick were cured by contact with the litter on which he had been carried;
this we have on the testimony of Venerable
Bede. He was present in 686 at the reconciliation between Archbishop
Theodore and Wilfrith. King Ini in the preface to his laws calls
Erconwald "my bishop".
During his episcopate he enlarged his church, augmented its revenues,
and obtained for it special privileges from
the king.
According to an ancient epitaph, Erconwald ruled the Diocese
of London for eleven years. He is said to have eventually retired to
the convent of
his sister in Barking, where he died 30 April. He was buried in St.
Paul's, and his tomb became
renowned for miracles.
The citizens of London had
a special devotion to him, and they regarded with pride the
magnificence of his shrine. During the burning of the cathedral in
1087 it is related that the shrine and its silken coverings remained intact.
A solemn translation
of St. Erconwald's body took place 14 Nov., 1148, when it was raised
above the high
altar. The shrine was robbed of its jewels and ornaments in the
sixteenth century; and the bones of the saint are
said to have been then buried at the east end of the choir.
His feast is
observed by English Catholics on
14 November. Prior to the Reformation,
the anniversaries of St. Erconwald's death and translation of
his relics were
observed at St. Paul's as feasts of the first class, according to an
ordinance of Bishop Braybroke in 1386.
Edmonds, Columba. "St.
Erconwald." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York:
Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 2 May 2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05517a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Michael C. Tinkler.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. May 1, 1909. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John
M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2023 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05517a.htm
Wenceslaus Hollar (1607–1677), St
Erkenwald (monument). State 2 (Shrine of St Erkenwald in St Paul's Cathedral,
relics removed 1550, lost as a monument in the Great Fire of London), XVIIth,
24 x 17, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
April 30
St. Erkonwald, Bishop of London, Confessor
HE was a prince of the royal blood, son of Annas, the holy king of the East-Angles, or, as some say, of a certain prince named Offa. The better to disengage himself from the ties and incumbrances of the world, he forsook his own country, and retired into the kingdom of the East-Saxons, where he employed his large estate in founding two great monasteries, one at Chertsey, in Surrey, near the Thames, 1 the other for nuns, at Barking in Essex; 2 of this latter he appointed his sister Edilburga abbess. The former he governed with great sanctity, till he was forced out of his dear solitude by King Sebba, in 675, and consecrated bishop of London by St. Theodorus. He much augmented the buildings and revenues of St. Paul’s, and obtained for that church great privileges from the king. Dugdale, in his history of that cathedral, proves that it had originally been a temple of Diana, from many heads of oxen dug up when the east part of it was rebuilt, and from the structure of the chambers of Diana, near that place. Bede bears witness that God honoured St. Erkonwald with a great gift of miracles, and that his horse-litter, or chips cut off from it, cured distempers to his own time: and his sanctity has been most renowned through all succeeding ages. He sat eleven years, according to his old epitaph, which Mr. Weever has preserved. 3 His tomb in the cathedral of St. Paul’s was famous for frequent miracles, as is mentioned by Bede, Malmesbury, &c. His body was removed from the middle of the church, by a solemn translation, on the 14th of November, in 1148, 4 and deposited above the high altar, on the east wall. Dugdale 5 describes the riches and numerous oblations which adorned his shrine, and laments 6 that they had lately seen the destruction of this magnificent church, which was the glory of our nation; the monuments of so many famous men torn to pieces, and their bones and dust pulled out of their graves. In which barbarous search the body of the holy King Sebba was found embalmed with perfumes, and clothed with rich robes: also several bishops in their proper habits. But, says that diligent author, I could never hear that they found more than a ring or two with rubies, and a chalice of no great value. He adds: Under part of the choir was the subterraneous parish church of St. Faith, called S. Fides in Cryptis. At the change of religion, the body of St. Erkonwald disappeared, in 1533, says Weever. 7 F. Jerom Porter, in his lives of the English saints, testifies, that it was then buried at the upper end of the choir, near the wall. No mention is made of it in any accounts since the new fabric was erected. See Wharton, Hist. Episcoporum Londin, p. 16; and Maitland, Hist. of London, b. 2, p. 486; also the notes of Papebroke upon the life of St. Erkonwald in Capgrave, Apr. t. 3, p. 780; and Leland, Collect. t. 1, p. 22 and 23.
Note 1. Chertsey
(anciently Ceortesei) monastery was founded by St. Erkonwald, about the year
666. The abbot and ninety monks being killed, and the abbey burnt to the
ground, during the Danish wars, it was refounded by King Edgar and Bishop
Ethelwold, to the honour of St. Peter. At the dissolution, it was valued,
according to Speed, at £744 13s. 4d. per ann. See Monast. Anglic, t. 1, p. 75,
and Bishop Tanner, Notit. Monastica, p. 534. [back]
Note 2. Barking
nunnery was founded by the same saint, in 675, or, according to the Chertsey-book,
in 666; but was not the first nunnery in England, as Weever, Dugdale, (in
Warwicks, p. 1077,) and Newcourt assert; for that of Folkestone in Kent was
founded in 630 by Eadbald, king of Kent, and his daughter, St. Eanswithe, was
made first abbess, as Bishop Tanner takes notice. Barking nunnery was valued at
the dissolution at £1084 per annum, which would be now eight times as much.
Those authors are mistaken, who call Barking the richest nunnery in England,
those of Sion and Shaftsbury being much richer. [back]
Note 3. Funeral
Monuments. [back]
Note 4. See Hearne,
note on Robert of Gloucester’s Chronicle, t. 2, p. 467. [back]
Note 5. History of
the cathedral of St. Paul’s, pp. 22, 23, 24. [back]
Note 6. Ib. p.
51. [back]
Note 7. P.
359. [back]
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume IV: April. The Lives of the Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/4/304.html
Saint
Erkenwald cattedrale di St Albans
Golden Legend – Saint
Erkenwold
Article
Here followeth the Life
of Saint Erkenwold, Bishop.
Saint Erkenwold was born
of noble lineage. His father was named Offa, and was king of east England, and
he had also a sister named Alburgh. Which Erkenwold and Alburgh were of right
perfect life, and howbeit that their father was a paynim, yet were these two
children christian. And when Erkenwold was in perfect age he went into
religion, and was made first abbot of Chertsey where he lived a holy life, and
after, he was made bishop of London, and his sister Alburgh was his true
follower in good works, and was a woman of religion, and for her holy life she
was made abbess of Barking. This holy man, by the information of Saint Austin
and Saint Melitus, was informed in the faith in such wise that he utterly
forsook the world, and ordained and builded two monasteries, one for himself at
Chertsey, and another for his sister at Barking, which, after her baptism, was
named Ethelburga. And Saint Erkenwold counselled his sister to flee worldly
vanities, and so he did himself, and gave him into divine contemplation, and
gave such goods as he had, besides them that he spent in the foundation and
building of the said monasteries, to poor people. And he changed his earthly
heritage, his worldly dignity and his great patrimony into the heritage and
livelihood of holy church for to have his heritage in heaven. And he did all
these expenses ere he was called to be bishop of London. And the holy Theodore,
archbishop of Canterbury, did do consecrate him bishop of London, and his
sister was set in Barking with other virgins for to be always occupied in the
service of our Lord. And it happed on a time, as the artificers that builded
the monastery at Barking were overseen in taking the measure of a principal
beam, for it was too short, and would not accord to the place that it was
ordained for, wherefore they made much sorrow. Then this holy man, Saint
Erkenwold, and his sister, seeing this misfortune, took the same beam between
their hands and drew it out in such wise that it had sufficient length and
accorded unto the proper place that it was ordained to, which miracle was anon
known openly to the people. And at that time were no nuns in England, wherefore
Saint Erkenwold sent over sea for a devout religious woman named Hildelith, to
whom he betook his sister for to be informed in the religion, as well in
conning as in good manners and virtuous doctrine, in which she profited in such
wise that she passed all her fellows in conning, and soon after she was made
abbess and chief of all the monastery. And it happed soon after that the bishop
of London died, whose name was Cedda, and by consent of the king and all the
people, this holy man of God, Erkenwold was bishop of London, and whatsomever
he taught in word, he fulfilled it in deed, for he was perfect in wisdom, soft
and discreet in word, busy in prayer, chaste of body, and wholly given to God’s
lore, and was planted in the root of charity. And afterwards, when he had
suffered much tribulation with many ghostly battles, he began to wax right
sick; and then he commanded to make ready his chair that he might go and preach
in the city the word of God; wherefore it was kept in custom long time after of
his disciples, and many others, to touch him and kiss him, and whatsomever
sickness that they had, they were anon delivered thereof, and were made
perfectly whole.
In a day of summer as
this blessed saint Erkenwold rode in his chair for to preach the word of God,
it fortuned that the one wheel of the chair fell off from the axletree, and
that notwithstanding the chair went forthright without falling, which was
against nature and reason, and a fair miracle, for God guided the chair and it
was a marvel to all them that saw it. O merciful God and marvellous above all
things, to whom all brute beasts be made meek, and wild things be obedient, who
vouchsafest to call to thy mercy thy blessed servant, to make him partable of
thy excellent joy, give thou us grace by his prayer, which knew by revelation
that his soul should be loosed from the body by temporal death, to be preserved
from all manner evil and everlasting death.
When this blessed Saint
Erkenwold, as God would, came to Barking, he fell into a great sickness, in
which he ended his temporal life; and forsomuch as he knew it before, he sent
for his servants and such as were drawing to him, and gave to them wholesome
and sweet lessons, and blessed them with great devotion, and among them he
yielded up his spirit to Almighty God, in whose passing was felt a marvellous
sweet odour, as the house had been full of sweet balm. And when the high canons
of Saint Paul’s at London heard this, and the monks of Chertsey, so anon they
came to this holy body for to have it. And the nuns said they ought to have the
body because he died there, and also because he was their founder, and the
monks said they ought rather to have him, because he was both their abbot and
founder. Then the chapter of Paul’s and the people said they strove in vain,
for he should be brought to London into his own church. thus there was great
strife, and at the last they of London took up the holy body, and bare it
towards London, and as they went, there fell a great tempest, and so much water
that they might not pass, but were constrained to set down the corpse, and in
all the storm the tapers that were borne about the body were always bright
burning; and then the nuns said that God showed well that they of London ought
not to have him because of the tempest. And at the last, after many words,
there was a clerk which had been longing to Saint Erkenwold, and saw this
strife, and stood up and commanded silence, and told to the people a great
commendation of the virtuous life of this holy saint, and said it was not
honest, ne according, to misentreat the holy body by violent hands, but let us
beseech Almighty God, with good devotion and meekness of heart, for to show to
us some token by revelation in what place this holy body shall rest. And all
the people consented thereto, and kneeled down and prayed devoutly; and whiles
they were in prayer they saw that the water divided as it did to Moses in the
Red Sea, and the children going through into desert. In like wise God gave a
dry path to the people of London for to convey this holy body through the water
to the city; and anon they took up the body with great honour and reverence,
and by one assent they bare it through the path, the water standing up on every
side, and the people not wetting their feet. And so they came to Stratford, and
set down the bier in a fair mead full of flowers, and anon after, the weather
began to wax fair and clear after the tempest, and the tapers were made to burn
without putting to fire of any man’s hand, and thus pleased our Lord for to
multiply miracles to the honour and worship of this holy saint, wherefore the
people were full of joy and gladness, and gave laud to Almighty God. And then
they took up the body and brought it to Paul’s, and as many sick folks as
touched his bier were made whole, anon as they touched the bier, of all their
sicknesses by the merits of the holy bishop Saint Erkenwold. And after they
laid and buried the body honorably in Saint Paul’s church, whereas our Lord
hath showed many a fair miracle, as in the delivering of prisoners out of their
irons, sick folk to their health, blind to their sight, and lame men to their
bodily strength: and among all others he hath been a special protector to the
said church against fire, whereas on a time the church was burnt, and his
shrine, which was then but tree, was saved through his bodily merits, in so
much that the cloth which lay upon it was not perished. Another time when a
great fire had burnt a great part of the city, and should have entered upon the
church, Saint Erkenwold was seen on the church with a banner fighting against
the fire, and so saved and kept his church from burning. Then let us pray unto
this holy saint that he be a special advocate for us to Almighty God that we
may be preserved from all perils of fire and water, and that he so govern us
between wealth and adversity in this present life, that we being assoiled from
sin and vices, may be brought unto heavenly joy where laud, honour, and glory
be given to the Blessed Trinity world without end. Amen.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/golden-legend-saint-erkenwold/
Cross
in Battersea Park, erected to mark the year 2000. It stands on the site of a
manor granted by King Caedwalla to St Erkenwald which is believed to have been
the home of St Ethelburga.
.jpg)
Cross
in Battersea Park, erected to mark the year 2000. It stands on the site of a
manor granted by King Caedwalla to St Erkenwald which is believed to have been
the home of St Ethelburga.
ERCONWALD of LONDON
The great Anglo-Saxon St.
Erconwald was a kinsman of King Offa of Mercia and came into a considerable
amount of wealth from the patrimony left to him by virtue of his royal
connections, which he used to found a monastery and a convent in Essex. Over
the convent he placed his sister, Ethelburga, who later became a saint as well.
Erconwald himself led the solitary life of a monk until in 675 he was called by
King Sebbi and the Archbishop of Canterbury to fill the vacant See of London.
Erconwald was known
for his extraordinary sanctity, and Bede attests that many were healed who came
in contact with the litter on which he was carried in his old age. During his
episcopate he obtained many privileges for his See from the king and enlarged
the flock in London considerably.
Erconwald died in 690 and was buried in the cathedral of St. Paul's in London, where many miracles happened at his tomb. In 1087 the cathedral was ravaged by a fire, but the linen cloths on his tomb miraculously remained intact. So esteemed was Erconwald in the late Anglo-Saxon and early Norman periods that in 1148 his relics were translated to the High Altar. A decree of 1386 ordered the feast of Erconwald's death and the translation of his relics to be celebrated as a feast of the first class in England. At the time of the English Reformation, all the jewels of his tomb were plundered and the relics themselves lost, though it is rumored that they now rest under the east altar, though it is far from certain.
Erconwald's Feast Day is 30 April, with translations being celebrated on 1
February and 13 May. He is the patron saint against gout.
St. Erconwald, ora pro
nobis!
SOURCE : http://www.unamsanctamcatholicam.com/history/79-history/159-erconwald-of-london.html
Orthodox
Image of St Erkenwald, Bishop of London
Saint of the Day – 30
April – Saint Erconwald of London (Died c 693) “The Light of London”
Posted on April
30, 2020
Saint of the Day – 30
April – Saint Erconwald of London (Died c 693) “The Light of London” –
Bishop, Monk, Abbot, Confessor, known as a miracle-worker, founder of a
Monastery and Convent – born in the 7th century in East Anglia, Enland and died
in c 693 in London. He was the Bishop of London between 675 and
693, until his death. Patronages – of London, against gout. Also
known as Earconvaldo, Erkenwald, Erkenwold, Erkonwald.
Saint Erconwald was born
at “Stallyngeton in Lindsey” (possibly Stallingborough, near Grimsby) in the
early seventh century. His father is variously described as Anna or
Offa, King of East Anglia and a pagan. Erconwald was converted to
Christianity at an early age by St Mellitus, the companion of Augustine and
first Bishop of London. He then converted his younger sister
Ethelburga and Baptised her, much to the fury of their father.
Ethelburga eventually fled her parents’ home with one servant to escape
being forced into marriage with a pagan.
In the year 666 Erconwald
founded the Monastery of Chertsey, on an island in the Thames, apparently at
the junction of several kingdoms. It is described as being founded
in the reign of King Egbert, King of Kent . The foundation was confirmed
and richly endowed, by Frithwald, Viceroy of Surrey, under Wulfhere King of
Mercia. The Viceroy put himself and his son under obedience to
Erconwald in return for prayers. Wulfhere confirmed this endowment.
There is a further charter of Frithwald and Erconwald, to increase the
lands of the Monastery.
Shortly after this
Erconwald founded a Convent at Barking in Essex, intended to be a refuge for
his sister Ethelburga. The foundation charter, countersigned by
Hodilred, King of Essex, provides us with a specimen of the saint’s
handwriting. In the course of building the house at Barking one
beam was found to be too short and was miraculously extended to the correct
length by Erconwald and his sister. St Ethelburga’s holy life
here: https://anastpaul.com/2023/10/11/saint-of-the-day-11-october-saint-ethelburga-of-barking-died-c782-virgin-abbess/
Erconwald remained as
Abbot of Chertsey until 675 when he was Consecrated third Bishop of London by
St Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury. St Erconwald appears to have
been the first resident Bishop and probably began the building of St Paul’s,
although traditionally this was adapted from a pagan temple of old
Londinium. In 677 he visited Rome and obtained a number of
privileges for his Diocese and Monastery from Pope Agatho I.
During his time as
Bishop, Erconwald became noted for miracles and for evangelisation. He
instructed St Neot, afterwards of Crowland Abbey and the two Kings of Essex,
Sebbi and Sigheri, the former of whom afterwards became a Hermit in St Paul’s
under Erconwald’s successor Waldhere.
In 690 Erconwald was
summoned, together with St Wilfrid, to the deathbed of St Theodore.
Both ministered to him but Theodore was more concerned to speak to Wilfrid,
whom he wished to succeed him. In 692 King Ine of Wessex mentions
his “Father Erconwald” who assisted him in codifying the Laws of Wessex.
Thus Erconwald is
associated with the Kings of East Anglia, Mercia, Essex, Wessex and Kent, all
of whom seem to have had interests centering in the Chertsey area. The
King of Sussex, Æthelwealh, was godson to Wulfhere of Mercia, so six of the
Seven Kingdoms are involved in his story.
Towards the end of his
life Erconwald was confined to a wheelchair, about which many stories are told.
On one occasion a raging river parted to allow the Saint to cross in his chair,
on another one wheel fell off but the chair miraculously did not upset.
After his death many miracles of the curing of illnesses were worked by
the same wheelchair.
In 693 Brithwald,
Archbishop of Canterbury, consecrated Waldhere as fourth Bishop of London, so
it seems likely that Erconwald died in that year, on 30 April. He
died while on retreat at Barking Abbey and there was the usual unseemly dispute
over who should have the burying of him, between Barking, Chertsey and
London. The Canons of St Paul’s prevailed and despite a last-ditch
attempt by the nuns of Barking, succeeded in capping their miracle with a
greater. (The nuns prayed for rain to swell the river at Ilford to
make it impossible for the cortege to cross and to extinguish the candles but
the men of London persuaded the candles to relight and the river to part again
so that they crossed dry-shod.) Despite all this he was buried in a
common earthen grave where he remained until 1087 when a fire destroyed the
Cathedral and everything in it, except the coffin containing his remains.
These were then translated to a splendid new shrine behind the high
altar, where they remained right up to the Great Fire of London of 1666,
despite the depredations of the Reformation. He was venerated
throughout the Middle Ages and today his Memorial is 30 April with further
celebration remembering him on the Translations of his relics, being celebrated
on 1 February and 13 May.
Author: AnaStpaul
Passionate Catholic.
Being a Catholic is a way of life - a love affair "Religion must be like
the air we breathe..."- St John Bosco Prayer is what the world needs
combined with the example of our lives which testify to the Light of Christ.
This site, which is now using the Traditional Calendar, will mainly concentrate
on Daily Prayers, Novenas and the Memorials and Feast Days of our friends in
Heaven, the Saints who went before us and the great blessings the Church
provides in our Catholic Monthly Devotions. This Site is placed under the
Patronage of my many favourite Saints and especially, St Paul. "For the
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who move us and lead us, to where we had not expected to go.” Charles Cardinal
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Needlework
in Barking Church showng St Erkenwald
Saint Erconwald
Bishop of London (693)
Our father among the
saints Earconwald of London (also Ercenwald or Erkenwald) was bishop of London
in the Anglo-Saxon Church of England during the latter decades of the seventh
century. He came to be called “The Light of London”. His feast day is April 30.
He is also commemorated for the translations of his relics on February 1 and
May 13.
Earconwald was born about
630 of noble origin at Lindsey. Otherwise little is known of his early life. He
founded two monasteries in 661, one for men in Chertsey in Surrey, of which he
became the abbot, and a second for women in Barking, of which his sister St.
Ethelburgh was the abbess. In 675, he was appointed Bishop of London by
Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury.
King Ine of Wessex named
Earconwald as an advisor and participant in the writing of the code of law
promulgated by King Ine. Earconwald also had a significant role in the
evolution and drafting of the Anglo-Saxon charters including the charter by
King Caedwalla for a minster (church) in Farnham.
Earconwald is also
credited with the conversion to Christianity of King Sebba of the East Saxons
in 674.
Earconwald died in 693
and was buried at Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. During the Middle Ages
his grave was a popular shrine for pilgrimages. However, it was destroyed with
other tombs at the cathedral during the Reformation. (more)
SOURCE : http://www.oldenglishchurch.org.uk/saint-erconwald/
Erkenwald
Window, Long Melford, Holy Trinity Church
Sant' Earconvaldo Vescovo
Festa: 30 aprile
† 30 aprile 693
Secondo Beda il
Venerabile, Earconvaldo, uomo di stirpe reale e santità esemplare, fu nominato
vescovo dei sassoni orientali da San Teodoro di Canterbury nel 675, ponendo la
sede episcopale a Londra. La sua fama di taumaturgo si diffuse rapidamente, con
miracoli di guarigione avvenuti per il solo contatto con la sua lettiga.
Fondatore di due monasteri, uno maschile a Chertsey e uno doppio a Barking
guidato dalla sorella Santa Etelburga, Earconvaldo si distinse per il suo ruolo
di pacificatore tra San Teodoro e San Vilfrido, per l'ampliamento della
cattedrale di San Paolo e per l'acquisizione di terreni per la Chiesa.
Consigliere del re Ine del Wessex, egli consolidò il cristianesimo in una
diocesi incline alle ricadute nel peccato. Morto il 30 aprile 693, le sue
spoglie contese tra Barking e Londra, furono infine inumate nella cattedrale di
San Paolo, divenendo oggetto di venerazione per i numerosi miracoli a lui
attribuiti. Fu elevato a patrono di Londra nel Medioevo.
Martirologio
Romano: A Barking in Inghilterra, transito di sant’Erconvaldo, vescovo,
che fondò due monasteri, l’uno maschile, da lui stesso governato, l’altro
femminile, guidato da sua sorella santa Etelburga.
Secondo Beda il Venerabile, grande storico ecclesiastico in Gran Bretagna, fu l’arcivescovo San Teodoro di Canterbury a designare nel 675 proprio Earconvaldo quale vescovo dei sassoni orientali, ponendo a Londra la sede episcpale, “uomo che visse in perfetta santità sia quando era vescovo, sia prima di esserlo, come tuttora testimoniano prodigi celesti”: i malati infatti guarivano miracolosamente se posti a contatto della lettiga sulla quale aveva viaggiato il vescovo, mentre altri venivano curati con schegge di elgno derivate dalla lettiga stessa.
La tradizione considera Earconvaldo di stirpe reale ed il suo stesso nome confermerebbe l’appartenenza alla real casa del Kent. Sicurametne era abbastanza ricco da permettersi la fondazione di ben due monasteri ancor prima di assumere la carica episcopale. Uno di questi, maschile, era sito a Chertsey nel Surrey, mentre l’altro, doppio, sorgeva a Barking nell’Essex, ove fu badessa sua sorella Santa Etelburga. Durante il episcopato aiutò a riappacificare San Teodoro e San Vilfrido, promosse l’ampliamento della cattedrale di San Paolo e la sua influenza convinse parecchi benefattori a donare vaste porzioni di terra alla Chiesa. Si narra che seppe dare al cristianesimo “basi solide in una diocesi famosa per le ricadute nel peccato” e fu lui stesso a consigliare il re Ine del Wessex nella stesura del fondamentale codice legale. E’ evidente che sotto la guida di questo santo pastore la Chiesa di Londra e più in generale dell’Inghilterra.
Alla sua morte, avvenuta il 30 aprile 693 probabilmente a Barking, le suore del posto reclamarono le sue spoglie, ma infine furono comunque sepolte nella cattedrale di San Paolo. Dal 1148 le sue reliquie furono poste sotto l’altar maggiore e nel 1326 furono nuovamente ricollocate in un nuovo reliquiario. Numerosi miracoli avvennero per intercessione del santo vescovo, che fu eletto nel Medio Evo celeste patrono di Londra.
Autore: Fabio Arduino
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/93365
Saint Erkonwald, évêque
de Londres : http://orthodoxievco.net/ecrits/vies/synaxair/avril/erkonwald.pdf
Saint Earconwald / Sanctus
Erkenwald : https://www.arlima.net/eh/earconwald_saint.html
St Erkenwald, Bishop and Confessor : https://societyofstbede.wordpress.com/2025/05/11/st-erkenwald-bishop-and-confessor/
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