Engelbert
Joseph Peiffer: Statue of Saint Ansgar, 1881,
Trostbrücke, Hamburg, Bergedorf
«Святой
Ансгар (экс-бишоф Гамбурга) - основатель Старого Города Гамбурга (9 век)»
Saint Anschaire, évêque
Anschaire (801-865),
moine de Corbie, fut envoyé vers 826 en Saxe, d'où il organisa la pénétration
de l'Évangile au Danemark, en Schleswig et en Suède. Les papes en firent un
évêque de Hambourg (821), puis de Brême (847) et leur légat pour tous les Pays scandinaves.
Saint Anschaire
Évêque de Hambourg et de
Brême (+ 865)
ou Anskar ou Oscar.
Il quitta la Picardie et
son abbaye bénédictine de Corbie, qui en ce temps était un centre très vivant
de sciences et de sainteté. Il fonda tout d'abord une abbaye en Saxe, à Corwey
(Corbie) puis il évangélisa les "hommes du nord", les "Normands"
d'abord au Danemark, puis en Suède, avec les armées franques du roi
Clotaire.
Au nord ouest de
Stockholm, dans l'île de Björke, et dans la région du Russland, il fonda un
monastère d'où il évangélisa les Varègues, ces Normands de l'Est qui
descendaient le Dniepr jusqu'à la Mer Noire et qui furent les "Rus",
les premiers chrétiens de Kiev, un siècle avant la conversion du prince
Vladimir.
Il revint au nord de la
Germanie et se vit confier l'évêché de Brême où se termina son pèlerinage
terrestre.
Sa vie a été décrite par
saint Rembert,
son successeur.
Il est également vénéré
dans les Églises d'Orient et le synaxaire orthodoxe dit de lui: "Il
n'entreprenait rien sans avoir consulté Dieu."
Mémoire de saint
Anschaire, évêque de Hambourg, puis en même temps de Brême en Saxe. D’abord
moine de Corbie, il fut envoyé par le pape Grégoire IV comme légat pour toute
l’Europe du Nord. Il annonça l’Évangile à une multitude de peuples au Danemark
et en Suède et y établit l’Église du Christ, malgré bien des difficultés qu’il
surmonta de grand cœur, jusqu’à ce que, épuisé par ses travaux, il trouve le
repos à Brême, en 865.
Martyrologe romain
"Si j’avais le don des miracles, le premier que je ferais serait de changer ma mauvaise nature en celle d’un honnête homme"
Saint Anschaire, en réponse à l’un de ses disciples qui admirait ses miracles
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/552/Saint-Anschaire.html
Figur
des Hl. Ansgar am Hansabrunnen in Hamburg-St. Georg
Anskar, Apôtre de la
Suède
Butler's
Lives of Patron Saints.
Edited by Michael
Walsh. Harper & Row, Publishers, San Francisco, 1987
Anskar est né vers 801
dans une famille noble près d'Amiens (Belgique, jusqu'à l'invasion française du
début du 15ème s). Il fut envoyé au proche monastère royal de Corbie, Picardie.
Il y aurait tissé d'étroits liens avec l'empereur Charlemagne et avec Paschase
Radbert qui était son tuteur. Une vision qu'il eut de la Vierge Marie et de la
mort de Charlemagne l'impressionna tant qu'il perdit toute gaieté juvénile et
ne pensa plus qu'à prêcher aux païens comme étant la forme rapprochant le plus
du martyre. Il devint moine, d'abord à Corbie, puis à Nouvelle Corbie (Corvey),
en Westphalie (Germanie). Il y fut pour la première fois engagé en travail
pastoral. Harold, roi du Danemark, était en fuite de son pays, avait été
baptisé à la court de Louis le Débonnaire. Lorsqu'il fut prêt à retourner dans
son royaume, il prit Anskar avec lui, de même que le moine Autbert, afin de
convertir les Danois. Ils eurent du succès, en gagnant beaucoup à la Foi, et
ouvrant une école, probablement à Hedeby. A l'invitation de Bjoern, roi de
Suède, Anskar partit ensuite avec plusieurs autres y prêcher l'Évangile. En
831, le roi Louis le nomma abbé de Nouvelle Corbie, puis archevêque d'Hambourg.
Le pape de Rome Grégoire IV en fit son légat auprès des peuples nordiques. Il y
oeuvra durant 13 ans, organisant des missions au Danemark, en Norvège et en
Suède, de même que dans le nord de la Germanie, construisant des églises et
fondant une bibliothèque.
Une grande incursion de
païens du Nord en 845 détruisit Hambourg, suite à quoi, Suède et Danemark
rechutèrent dans l'idolâtrie. Anskar continua à soutenir ses églises ravagées
en Germanie, jusqu'à ce que le siège épiscopal de Bremen soit vacant. Le pape
de Rome, Nicolas I, finit par réunir ce siège à celui d'Hambourg, et nomma
Anskar pour veiller sur les deux. Il retourna alors au Danemark, et sa présence
amena vite la Foi à renaître. En Suède, le superstitieux roi Olaf hésitait
beaucoup quand à accepter ou non les missionnaires Chrétiens. Le saint
s'affligea de voir la religion traitée avec une telle légèreté, et recommanda
le problème au soin de Dieu. L'issue s'avéra favorable, et l'évêque fonda de
nombreuses églises, qu'il laissa aux soins de zélés pasteurs avant de rentrer à
Bremen.
Il mourut à Bremen à 67
ans, la 34ème année de son épiscopat, et tout le Nord le pleura. Mais bien que
saint Anskar fut le premier à prêcher l'Évangile en Suède, après sa mort, ce
pays retomba entièrement dans le paganisme. La conversion du pays sera l'oeuvre
de saint Sigfrid et d'autres missionnaires au 11ème siècle.
SOURCE : http://stmaterne.blogspot.ca/2008/02/saint-anschaire-aptre-belge-de-la.html
St. Ansgar Statue - St. Ansgar's Catholic Cathedral - Copenhagen
Notre père parmi les saints Ansgar, Apôtre du Nord et Illuminateur du
Danemark, aussi appelé Anskar, Anschaire ou Oscar, né le 8 septembre (?) 801,
endormit dans le Seigneur le 3 février 865, fut archevêque d'Hambourg-Bremen.
Son jour de Fête est son dies natalis, le 3 février.
Vie
Ansgar naquit à Amiens. Pendant un certain temps, il résida avec le roi baptisé
du Danemark, Harald Klak, et lorsque Louis le Pieux, à Worms, en 829, fut mandé
par 2 représentants de Suède et le roi suédois Björn à Haute, il nomma
Anschaire missionnaire. Les représentants avaient prétendu que plusieurs Suédois
voulaient se convertir au Christianisme. Anschaire arriva à Birka en 829,
accompagné du moine Witmar, et une petite assemblée fut formée en 831, qui
comprenait le propre aide du roi, Hergeir, comme membre le plus éminent. Le
siège d'Hambourg fut nommé "mission pour apporter le Christianisme au
Nord,", et saint Anschaire se retrouva ainsi appelé l'Apôtre du Nord.
Il mourut en 854 à Bremen. Son hagiographie a été écrite par son successeur
comme archevêque, Rimber, c'est la Vita Ansgari.
A Hambourg, on trouve une statue qui lui est dédiée, et une croix de pierre à
Birka (Björkö, Suède)
SOURCE : http://stmaterne.blogspot.ca/2008/02/saint-anschaire-aptre-belge-de-la.html
Also known as
Amschar
Anscario
Anschar
Anscharius
Ansgario
Ansgarius
Anskar
Askario
Apostle of the North
Apostle of Scandanavia
Oscar
Scharies
Profile
Born to the French nobility. Benedictine monk at Old Corbie Abbey in Picardy (in modern France) and New Corbie in Westphalia (in modern Germany). Studied under Saint Adelard of Corbie and Saint Paschasius Radbert. Accompanied the converted King Harold to Denmark when the exiled king returned home. Missionary to Denmark and Sweden. Founded first Christian church in Sweden c.832. Abbot of New Corbie c.834. Archbishop of Hamburg, Germany, ordained by Pope Gregory IV. Papal legate to the Scandanavian countries. Established the first Christian school in Denmark, but was run out by pagans, and the school was burned to the ground. Campaigned against slavery. Archbishop of Bremen, Germany. Converted Erik, King of Jutland. Great preacher, a miracle worker, and greatly devoted to the poor and sick. Sadly, after his death most of his gains for the Church in the north were lost to resurgent paganism.
Born
801 at Amiens, Picardy, France
Died
3 February 865 at Bremen, Germany
relics at Bremen and Hamburg in Germany, and Copenhagen, Denmark
in Germany
Bremen, city of
Hamburg, archdiocese of
man holding the catheral of Hamburg, Germany
man wearing a fur pelise
Additional Information
Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
Life of Anskar, the Apostle of the North, by Saint Rembert of Hamburg
Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
Saints of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
Saints of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
Saints of the Order of Saint Benedict, by Father Aegedius Ranbeck, O.S.B.
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Oxford Dictionary of Saints, by David Hugh Farmer
other sites in english
1001 Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, Australian Catholic Truth Society
Nobility and Analogous Traditional Elites
images
sitios en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti in italiano
nettsteder i norsk
spletne strani v slovenšcini
Readings
If I were worthy of such a favor from my God, I would ask that he grant me this one miracle: that by His grace He would make of me a good man. – Saint Ansgar to a parishioner who was praising him for being a miracle worker
MLA Citation
“Saint Ansgar“. CatholicSaints.Info. 17 November 2023. Web. 26 November 2023. <https://catholicsaints.info/saint-ansgar/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-ansgar/
Ribe
Cathedral, Ansgar statue, Ribe, Denmark
Statue
til minde om Ansgar rejst ved domkirken i 2015
Statue de saint Anschaire devant la cathédrale de Ribe (Danemark).
Ribe
Cathedral, Ansgar statue, Ribe, Denmark
Statue
til minde om Ansgar rejst ved domkirken i 2015
Statue de saint Anschaire devant la cathédrale de Ribe (Danemark).
St. Anschar
(Or ANSGARIUS.)
Called the Apostle of the
North, was b. in Picardy, 8 September, 801; d. 5 February, 865. He became
a Benedictine of
Corbie, whence lie passed into Westphalia.
With Harold, the newly baptized King
of Denmark who
had been expelled from his kingdom but was now returning, he and Autbert went
to preach the Faith in
that country where Ebbo, the Archbishop of Reims,
had already laboured but without much success. Anschar founded a school at Schleswig,
but the intemperate zeal of
Harold provoked another storm which ended in a second expulsion, and the
consequent return of the missionaries. In the company of the ambassadors of
Louis le Débonnaire, he then entered Sweden, and preached the Gospel there.
Although the embassy had been attacked on its way and had apparently abandoned
its mission, Anschar succeeded in entering the country, and was favourably
received by the king, who permitted him to preach. The chief of the royal
counsellors, Herigar, was converted, and built the first church of Sweden.
Anschar remained there a year and a half, and returning was made bishop of
the new see of Hamburg,
and appointed by Gregory
IV legate of
the northern nations. He revived also the abbey of Turholt in Flanders,
and established a school there.
In 845 Eric, the King of Jutland, appeared off Hamburg with a fleet of 600
vessels, and destroyed the city. Anschar was for some time a fugitive and was
deprived also of his Flemish possessions
by Charles the Bald, but on the accession of Louis the German was restored to
his see.
The bishopric of Bremen which
had been the See of Leudric, his enemy, was at the same time united to Hamburg,
but though the arrangement was made in 847 it was not confirmed by the Pope
until 857, and Anschar was made the first archbishop.
Meantime he made frequent excursions to Denmark,
ostensibly in the quality of envoy of King Louis. He built a church at Schleswig and
afterwards went as Danish ambassador
to his old mission of Sweden.
King Olaf regarded him with favour, but the question of permitting him to
preach was submitted to the oracles, which are said to have given a favourable
answer. It was probably due to the prayers of
the saint.
A church was built and a priest established
there. In 854 we find him back in Denmark,
where he succeeded in changing the enmity of King Eric into friendship. Eric
had expelled the priests who
had been left at Schleswig,
but at the request of Anschar recalled them. The saint built another church in
Jutland and introduced the use of bells, which the pagans regarded
as instruments of magic, he also induced the king to mitigate the horrors of
the slave-trade. He was eminent for his piety, mortification,
and observance of the monastic rule, he built hospitals,
ransomed captives, sent immense alms abroad,
and regretted only that he had not been found worthy of martyrdom.
Though he wrote several works, very little of them remains. He had added
devotional phrases to the psalms, which, according to Fabricius,
in his Latin Library of the Middle
Ages, are an illustrious monument, to the piety of
the holy prelate.
He had also compiled a life of St.
Willehad, first Bishop of Bremen,
and the preface which he wrote was considered a masterpiece for that age. It is
published by Fabricius among
the works of the historians of Hamburg.
Some letters of his are also extant. He is known in Germany as
St. Scharies and such is the title of his collegiate church in Bremen.
Another in Hamburg under the same title was converted into an orphan
asylum by the Lutherans.
All of his success as a missionary he ascribed to the piety of
Louis le Débonnaire and the apostolic
zeal of his predecessor in the work, Ebbo, Archbishop of Reims,
who, however, as a matter of fact, had failed.
Sources
Acta SS., I, Feb.;
MICHAUD, Biog. Univ.; HERGENRÖTHER, Kircheng. (1904) II,
180-84; BUTLER, Lives of the Saints, 3 Feb.
Campbell, Thomas. "St.
Anschar." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York:
Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 3 Feb.
2016 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01544c.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by W.S. French, Jr.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2021 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01544c.htm
Skulptur des Hl. Ansgar Am Mariendom Hamburg
Skulptur
Sankt Ansgar am Mariendom in Hamburg-St. Georg
Kirchenvorplatz der Domkirche St. Marien in Hamburg-St. Georg,Skulptur des Heiligen Sankt Ansgars, 1. Erzbischof (831-868) von Hamburg, ein Geschenk des Bistums Mainz zum Katholikentag im Jahr 2000. Die Skulptur stammt vom Künstler Karlheinz Oswald und ist signiert.
St. Ansgar
Feastday: February 3
Patron: of Scandinavia
Birth: 801
Death: 865
Ansgar was born of a
noble family near
Amiens. He became a monk at
Old Corbie monastery in Picardy and later at New Corbie in Westphalia. He
accompanied King Harold to Denmark when
the exiled King returned to his native land and engaged in missionary work
there. Ansgar's success caused King Bjorn of Sweden to
invite him to that country, and he built the first Christian Church
in Sweden. He became Abbot of
New Corbie and first Archbishop of Hamburg about
831, and Pope Gregory IV appointed
him Legate to
the Scandinavian countries. He labored at his missionary works for the next
fourteen years but saw all he had accomplished destroyed when invading pagan Northmen in
845 destroyed Hamburg and
overran the Scandinavian countries, which lapsed into paganism. He was
appointed first Archbishop of Bremen about
848, and the See was united with that of Hamburg by
Pope Nicholas I. Ansgar again returned to Denmark and Sweden in
854 and resumed his missionary activities, converting Erik, King of Jutland.
Ansgar's success was due to his great preaching ability, the austerity
and holiness of
his life, and the miracles he is reputed to have performed. Though called
"the Apostle of
the North" and the first Christian missionary
in Scandinavia, the whole area lapsed into paganism again
after his death at Bremen on
February 3rd. His name is also spelled Anskar.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=257
St. Anskar
Feastday: February 3
Birth: 801
Death: 865
Born in Picardy, St. Anskar was
the apostle to
the Scandinavians. He was educated at Corbie, a Benedictine monastery, and
taught at Corvey, a daughter house in Westphalia. Louis I the Pious had at
that time allied
himself with Harald of Denmark in
a dynastic dispute on the condition that
Harald and his country become Christian. When Louis sought a missionary, Archbishop Ebbo of
Rheims and Abbot Wala
of Corvey recommended Anskar. His mission began c. 826 in Schleswig and
ended the following year with Harald's defeat. Bjorn of Sweden later
permitted Anskar to preach in Sweden, where he established the first church in
Scandinavia at Björnskö. Louis named Anskar first bishop of Hamburg in
831, and the following year, Gregory IV appointed
him papal legate to
the Scandinavians. The Swedish mission collapsed in 845, after Vikings destroyed
Hamburg. Appointed Archbishop of Bremen in
851, Anskar renewed his missionary work and converted Haarik II of Sweden.
Anskar did as much as he could to alleviate the harsh conditions of the Viking
slave trade. He also founded hospitals. Nicholas I canonized Anskar shortly
after his death.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=955
.jpg)
Louis
Moe (1857–1945), Ansgar, preaching at the court of king Harald Klak.
Colour lithograh on paper, glued on cardboard.
Signed
lower left: L. M. Moe, 92. Text: Danmarks Historie i Billeder XIV.
Ansgar prædiker i Haralds Gaard. Alfred Jacobsens litogr. Etablissement,
København K. The collection consisted of 50 illustrations, museum no.
17.001-17.049, with No. VI and L (50) missing.
Published
in 1898, documented in V.E. Clausen: Folkelig grafik i Skandinavien, 1973,
page 144.
Louis
Moe (1857–1945), Ansgar prædiker i kong Harald Klaks kongsgård.
Farvelitografi på papir opklæbet på pap.
Nederst:
Sign. L. M. Moe, 92. Danmarks Historie i Billeder XIV. Ansgar prædiker i
Haralds Gaard. Alfred Jacobsens litogr. Etablissement, København
K. Samlingen omfatter 50 billeder, mus.nr. 17.001-17.049. Nr. VI og L mangler.
Samlingen er udgivet i 1898, se V.E. Clausen: Folkelig grafik i Skandinavien,
1973 s. 144. 70.9 Cl f.
Udstillet
i juli-august 1906 iflg. årsberetning 1906-07. 1 dublet, er modtaget fra N.
Zahles Gymnasieskole i november 1979 tillige med 2 prøvetryk af billederne fra
Lærerstandens Adresseavis, 2. juni 1892, med foromtale af billederne.
Saints
of the Order of Saint Benedict – Saint Anschar, Archbishop
Very often our Divine
Lord marks out, even from earliest youth, those whom He intends to honour with
a special mission. Such was the case with Saint Anschar. Among his playmates,
Anschar, a boy full of animal spirits, was the leader in every youthful game
and frolic, till on one occasion, when playing in some rural retreat, our
Blessed Lady appeared to him and said, “Anschar, is this the way you trifle –
you for whom Heaven destines a difficult task? Give yourself up to serious
work. This is my Son’s command.” From that moment Anschar was quite altered.
His family marvelled at the change. By constant prayer he sought to learn the
will of Heaven, and before long this was made known to him. He begged his
parents to allow him to enter the Monastery of Corby, which was an old
foundation under the rule of Saint Benedict, and very famous for its learning,
piety, and discipline. Once within the walls of Corby, Anschar made up for the
idleness of his boyhood by devotion to study, by mortifying himself, and by the
most edifying holiness. (There were two Monasteries of this name: Old Corby, in
France; and Little Corby, in Saxony. Saint Anschar was, for a time, in each.)
As soon as his age permitted, he received Holy Orders. But Corby was not to be
the scene of Anschar’s mission. Again was the Divine command sent. A voice,
amid his prayers at night, bade Anschar to leave his Monastery and go forth to
convert the North of Europe. That there should be no difficulty in obtaining
permission to depart, an Angel brought a similar message to the Abbot. With the
companions who were to assist him, our Saint proceeded to the North, and first
preached the Faith to the Goths, and with such success, that in a short time
they and their King, Olaus or Olaf, were cleansed in the purifying waters of
Baptism.
Sweden was next attacked.
There the people were more inclined to embrace Christianity than their King
was, but his obstinacy was soon overcome by the miracles performed by Saint
Anschar. Churches began to rise all over the kingdom; yet a Cathedral Church
was needed. This was founded at Upsala by the King, Bero, after the requisite
permission had been sought from Rome and granted by Pope Gregory IV, O.S.B.
Anschar and his Missionaries next carried the gospel to the Danes, the Scots,
the Sclavs, the Norwegians, and the Finns. Bishops were placed in charge of
each of these provinces; and, as so many Bishops required a Metropolitan, Pope
Gregory made Saint Anschar Primate, and the Saint distinguished the city of
Hamburg by making it the seat of his Primacy. One would imagine that the
Archbishop might now enjoy rest after such toils; but, though Archbishop, he
continued his journeys to the most remote and ice-bound regions. Most of these
journeys were performed on foot, a staff the Archbishop’s sole support, for he
sold the horse with which he started, in order to ransom a captive woman.
At this time Louis I, le
Debonnaire, the son of Charlemagne, was Emperor of Germany. Hearing of the
great success of Anschar’s mission to the North, the Emperor begged that he
might be summoned from Hamburg to sow the seed of Christianity at Bremen. By
the favour of Heaven, Anschar’s exertions in this new field were so rewarded,
that idols were everywhere cast out, and schools, churches, and monasteries
sprang up. To the lasting advantage of both Sees, he subsequently added the See
of Hamburg to the See of Bremen. Pope Sergius invested him also with Legatine
powers over the Swedes and the Sclavs; and the Frisians, who, after their
conversion by Saint Willibrord, were falling back into idolatry, next claimed
the attention of the indefatigable Saint. These apostates particularly assailed
the observance of Sundays and holy-days. Anschar publicly from his
archiepiscopal seat denounced their infidelity. Few were convinced; the
majority of his hearers hissed the preacher. The Divine vengeance was not long
delayed. The wretched apostates were reduced to ashes by lightning, launched
from Heaven in answer to the Saint’s prayers. Different, though not less
severe, was the punishment inflicted on the Danes, who, after having received
the Faith from Saint Anschar’s own hands, drove out the Priests and Monks, and
readmitted the pagan gods. Like the Frisians, they jeered at Saint Anschar when
he earnestly besought them to return to Christian worship. For this sin they
were seized by a Heaven-sent madness, civil war broke out, and, falling on one
another’s swords, most of the Danes paid the penalty for the outrage on God’s
minister. One youthful prince survived – Eric – and he, carried away by
wickedness, did not learn wisdom from the slaughter of his countrymen, but,
with furious threats against Saint Anschar, continued the suppression of the
Christian religion throughout his dominions. Little did Saint Anschar regard
his anger or his threats. Face to face the Saint, by his resistless eloquence,
so cowed the tyrant, that he humbly sued for pardon, and begged that he might
be allowed to wash away his guilt at the font of Baptism. A decree was made
banishing idolaters from Denmark and restoring the Church to its former
flourishing condition. Saint Rembert, whom Saint Anschar willed to succeed him
in the See of Bremen, has fully set forth all the miracles which our Lord
enabled the sainted Archbishop to perform. The great Apostle of the North, who
not only gained, but preserved for the Church, so many kings, so many nations,
went to receive the reward of his many toilsome journeys and zealous labours,
A.D. 865.
– text and illustration
taken from Saints
of the Order of Saint Benedict by Father Aegedius
Ranbeck, O.S.B.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saints-of-the-order-of-saint-benedict-saint-anschar-archbishop/
St.
Ansgar mit Gemeinde am Gemeindehaus (am 4. November 1962 nach zwei Jahren
Bauzeit eingeweiht. Quelle)
der Ansgarkirche in Hamburg-Langenhorn, Wördenmoorweg 22, von Karl Heinz
Engelin.
ST. ANSCHARIUS, C.,
From Butler's Lives
of the Saints 1895:
ARCHBISHOP OF HAMBURG AND
BREMEN.
From his excellent life
compiled by St. Rembert, his successor, with the remarks of Mabillon, Act.
Bened t. 4, p. 401, and the preliminary discourse of Henschenius, p. 391. Adam
Bremensis, Hist. Episc. Hamb. and Olof Dolin, in his new excellent history of Sweden
in the reigns of Listen, Bel, and Bagnar, c. 16.
A.D. 865.
HE was a monk, first of
Old Corbie in France, afterwards of Little Corbie in Saxony. Harold, or
Heriold, prince of Denmark, having been baptized in the court of the emperor
Louis Debonnaire, Anscarius preached the faith with great success, first to the
Danes, afterwards to the Swedes, and lastly in the north of Germany. In 832, he
was made archbishop of Hamburg, and legate of the holy see, by pope Gregory IV.
That city was burnt by an army of Normans, in 845. The saint continued to
support his desolate churches, till, in 849, the see of Bremen becoming vacant,
pope Nicholas united it to that of Hamburg, and appointed him bishop of both.
Denmark and Sweden had relapsed into idolatry, notwithstanding the labors of
many apostolical missionaries from New Corbie, left there by our saint. His
presence soon made the faith flourish again in Denmark, under the protection of
king Horick. But in Sweden the superstitious king Olas cast lots whether he
should be admitted or no. The saint, grieved to see the cause of God and
religion committed to the cast of a die, recommended the issue to the care of
heaven. The lot proved favorable, and the bishop converted many of the lower
rank, and established many churches there, which he left under zealous pastors
at his return to Bremen. He wore a rough hair shirt, and, while his health
permitted him, contented himself with a small quantity of bread and water. He
never undertook any thing without recommending it first to God by earnest
prayer, and had an extraordinary talent for preaching. His charity to the poor
had no bounds; he washed their feet, and waited on them at table. He ascribed
it to his sins, that he never met with the glory of martyrdom in all that he
had suffered for the faith. To excite himself to compunction and to the divine
praise, he made a collection of pathetic sentences, some of which he placed at
the end of each psalm; several of which are found in certain manuscript
psalters, as Fleury takes notice. The learned Fabricius, in his Latin Library
of the middle ages, calls them an illustrious monument of the piety of this
holy prelate. St. Anscharius died at Bremen in the year 865, the sixty-seventh
of his age, and thirty-fourth of his episcopal dignity; and was honored with
miracles. His name occurs in the Martyrologies soon after his death. In the
German language he is called St. Scharies, and his collegiate church of Bremen
Sant-Scharies. That at Hamburg, which bore his name, has been converted by the
Lutherans into an hospital for orphans. His name was rather Ansgar, as it {345}
is written in his own letter, and in a charter of Louis Debonnaire. In this
letter[1] he attributes all the fruits and glory of the conversion of the
Northern nations, to which he preached, to the zeal of that emperor and of
Ebbo, archbishop of Rheims, without taking the least notice of himself or his
own labors. The life of St. Willehad, first bishop of Bremen, who died in 789
or 791, compiled by St. Anscharius, is a judicious and elegant work, and the
preface a masterpiece for that age. It is abridged and altered by Surius, but
published entire at Cologne, in 1642; and more correctly by Mabillon; and again
by Fabricius, among the historians of Hamburg, t. 2.
Footnotes:
1. Ap. Bolland. et.
Mabill.
SOURCE : http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/martyrology_entry.php?n=540
Hugo
Hamilton (1802–1871). Captioned as "Ansgarius predikar Christna läran i
Sverige", according to the source page. Etching
by Hugo Hamilton, depticting the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen Ansgar the
preaching Christianity to the heathen Swedes. Original image size approximately
17 x 22 cm. Hamilton, Hugo. 1830. Teckningar ur Skandinaviens Äldre
Historia. Stockholm: Gjöthström & Magnusson. Digitalized by Martling Bok
& Grafik, available from http://www.martling.net/Hamilton/hamilton.htm
Ansgar B (RM)
(also known as Anskar, Anschar, Anscharius, Scharies) Born near Amiens,
Picardy, France in 801; died in Bremen, Germany on February 3, 865.
With the coming of the
barbarian after the death of Charlemagne, darkness fell upon Europe. From the
forests and fjords of the north, defying storm and danger, came a horde of
pirate invaders, prowling round the undefended coasts, sweeping up the broad
estuaries, and spreading havoc and fear. No town, however fair, no church,
however sacred, and no community, however strong, was immune from their fury.
Like a river of death the Vikings poured across Europe.
It's hard to believe that
there would be an outbreak of missionary activity at such a time, but in
Europe's darkest hour there were those who never faltered, and who set out to
convert the pagan invader. Saint Ansgar was such a man. As a young boy of a
noble family he was received at Corbie monastery in Picardy and educated under
Saints Abelard and Paschasius Radbert. Once professed, he was transferred to
New Corbie at Westphalia. He once said to a friend, "One miracle I would,
if worthy, ask the Lord to grant me; and that is, that by His grace, he would
make me a good man."
In France a call was made
for a priest to go as a missionary to the Danes, and Ansgar, a young monk,
volunteered. His friends tried to dissuade him, so dangerous was the mission.
Nevertheless, when King Harold, who had become a Christian during his exile,
returned to Denmark, Ansgar and another monk accompanied him. Equipped with
tents and books, these two monks set out in 826 and founded a school in
Denmark. Here Anskar's companion died, and he was obliged to move on to Sweden
alone when his success in missionary work led King Bjoern to invite him to
Sweden.
On the way, his boat was
attacked by pirates and he lost all his possessions, arriving destitute at a
small Swedish village. After this unpromising start, he succeeded in forming
the nucleus of a church--the first Christian church in Sweden--and penetrated
inland, confronting the heathen in their strongholds and converting the pagan
chiefs.
Ansgar became the first
archbishop of Hamburg, Germany, and abbot of New Corbie in Westphalia c. 831.
The Pope Gregory IV appointed him legate to the Scandinavian countries and
confided the Scandinavian souls to his care. He evangelized there for the next
14 years, building churches in Norway, Denmark, and northern Germany.
He saw his
accomplishments obliterated when pagan Vikings invaded in 845, overran
Scandinavia, and destroyed Hamburg. Thereafter, the natives reverted to
paganism. Ansgar was then appointed first archbishop of Bremen around 848, but
he was unable to establish himself there for a time and Pope Nicholas I united
that see with Hamburg. Nicholas also gave him jurisdiction over Denmark,
Norway, and Sweden.
Ansgar returned to
Denmark and Sweden in 854 to resume spreading the Gospel. When he returned to
Denmark he saw the church and school he had built there destroyed before his
eyes by an invading army.
His heart almost broke as
he saw his work reduced to ashes. "The Lord gave," he said, "and
the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord." With a handful
of followers he wandered through his ruined diocese, but it was a grim and
weary time. "Be assured, my dear brother," said the primate of
France, who had commissioned him to this task, "that what we have striven
to accomplish for the glory of Christ will yet, by God's help, bring forth
fruit."
Heartened by these words,
and with unfailing courage, Anskar pursued his Swedish mission. Though he had but
four churches left and could find no one willing to go in his place, he
established new outposts and consolidated his work.
King Olaf had cast a die
to decide whether to allow the entrance of Christians, an action that Ansgar
mourned as callous and unbefitting. He was encouraged, however, by a council of
chiefs at which an aged man spoke in his defense. "Those who bring to us
this new faith," he said, "by their voyage here have been exposed to
many dangers. We see our own deities failing us. Why reject a religion thus
brought to our very doors? Why not permit the servants of God to remain among
us? Listen to my counsel and reject not what is plainly for our
advantage."
As a result, Ansgar was
free to preach the Christian faith, and though he met with many setbacks, he
continued his work until he died at he age of 64 and was buried at Bremen. He
was a great missionary, an indefatigable, outstanding preacher, renowned for
his austerity, holiness of life, and charity to the poor. He built schools and
was a great liberator of slaves captured by the Vikings. He converted King Erik
of the Jutland and was called the 'Apostle of the North.' Yet Sweden reverted
completely to paganism shortly after Ansgar's death.
Ansgar often wore a
hairshirt, lived on bread and water when his health permitted it, and added
short personal prayers to each Psalm in his psalter, thus contributing to a
form of devotion that soon became widespread.
Miracles were said to
have been worked by him. After Ansgar's death, the work he had begun came to a
stop and the area reverted to paganism. Christianity did not begin to make
headway in Scandinavia until two centuries later with the work of Saint Sigfrid
and others. A life was written about Ansgar by his fellow missionary in
Scandinavia, Saint Rembert (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Bentley,
Coulson, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Gill, Robinson, White).
In art Ansgar shown with
converted Danes near him (White), wearing a fur pelisse (Roeder). He may
sometimes be shown otherwise in a boat with King Harold and companions or in a
cope and miter, holding Hamburg Cathedral (Roeder).
Saint Ansgar is the
patron of Denmark, Germany, and Iceland (White). He is venerated in Old Corbie
(Picardy) and New Corbie (Saxony) as well as in Scandinavia (Roeder).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0203.shtml
St.
Ansgar utenfor Marmorkirken i København. Skulptur utført av Theobald Stein i
1894.
Statue
of Saint Ansgar on the exterior of Marmorkirken in Copenhagen. Made by Theobald
Stein in 1894.
Sant' Oscar
(Ansgario) Vescovo
3 febbraio - Memoria Facoltativa
Corbie (Francia), ca. 800
- Brema (Germania), 2 febbraio 865
Da piccolo studia
nell'abbazia benedettina di Corbie, suo paese natale. Più tardi vi ritorna,
diventando monaco e poi «magister interno», funzione che esercita più tardi
nella comunità della Nuova Corbie (Corvey) in Sassonia. Da qui parte la sua
avventura di apostolo degli Scandinavi. Nell'826 accompagna in Danimarca il
nuovo re Harald, che ha appena ricevuto il battesimo. Ma dopo un anno deve già
lasciare la Danimarca, e con lui l'abbandona Ansgario, che nell'829 viene
inviato missionario in Svezia col monaco Vittmaro. Qui il re Björn gli lascia
predicare liberamente il Vangelo. L'imperatore Lodovico il Pio (successore di
Carlo Magno) incoraggia la nascita di una struttura ecclesiastica con sede ad
Amburgo e col campo di lavoro oltre frontiera. Ansgario ne diventa vescovo
nell'831, e può dar vita in Svezia a una missione stabile con a capo un
vescovo. Nell'840 con la morte di Lodovico e la minaccia dei Normanni crolla
tutto ciò che Ansgario stava avviando. Nonostante tutto Ansgario non demorde e
riprende la via della Svezia e della Danimarca, ma senza buoni risultati.
Tornato a Brema, non vede realizzato il sogno di un profondo radicamento
cristiano al Nord. Muore nell'865.
Etimologia: Oscar =
lancia di Dio, dal tedesco arcaico
Emblema: Bastone
pastorale
Martirologio
Romano: Sant’Oscar, vescovo di Amburgo e poi insieme di Brema in Sassonia:
dapprima monaco di Corbie, fu nominato da papa Gregorio IV suo legato in tutto
il Settentrione; in Danimarca e Svezia annunciò il Vangelo a una moltitudine di
popoli e vi fondò la Chiesa di Cristo, superando con forza d’animo molte
difficoltà, finché, sfinito dalle fatiche, a Brema trovò riposo.
Da piccolo è stato già scolaro dei benedettini, che nel suo paese natale di Corbie, presso Amiens, hanno una famosissima abbazia. Più tardi vi ritorna, diventando monaco e poi magister interno, funzione che esercita più tardi nella comunità della Nuova Corbie (Corvey) in Sassonia. Da qui parte la sua avventura di apostolo degli Scandinavi, che è pure una sorta di duello continuo tra i molti insuccessi e il suo coraggio.
Nell’826 accompagna in Danimarca il nuovo re Harald, che ha appena ricevuto il battesimo e che lo sostiene agli inizi della predicazione. Ma è lui, il re, che non riesce a sostenersi sul trono. Dopo un anno deve già lasciare la Danimarca, e con lui l’abbandona Ansgario, che nell’829 viene inviato missionario in Svezia col monaco Vittmaro. Qui il re Björn gli lascia predicare liberamente il Vangelo ai rari cristiani (perlopiù stranieri, prigionieri di guerra) e alla gente del luogo. In un anno e mezzo di lavoro il risultato sembra promettente: per questo l’imperatore Lodovico il Pio (figlio e primo successore di Carlo Magno) incoraggia la nascita di una struttura ecclesiastica con sede ad Amburgo (territorio imperiale) e col campo di lavoro oltre frontiera. Ansgario ne diventa vescovo nell’831, e può dar vita in Svezia a una missione stabile con a capo un vescovo. Intanto, riprende l’attività missionaria anche in Danimarca.
Nel giugno 840 muore l’imperatore Lodovico il Pio: l’impero dei Franchi carolingi si frantuma; e intanto le incursioni dei Normanni, gli “uomini del Nord”, devastano l’Europa settentrionale. Nello sconvolgimento crolla tutto ciò che Ansgario stava avviando, e nell’845 i Normanni piombano addirittura su Amburgo, dove lui fa appena in tempo a salvare le reliquie della sua chiesa. Va in rovina anche la missione in Svezia, avversata da molti che non amano la “religione degli stranieri”. Ma lui non rinuncia. Dopo alcuni anni trascorsi a Brema, eccolo arrivare di persona in Svezia, perché non ha nessuno da mandare. Il re Olaf autorizza la predicazione cristiana, ma i buoni predicatori non ci sono. Dove non arriva Ansgario, tutto infiacchisce e decade.
La sua presenza migliora le cose anche in Danimarca, grazie ai buoni rapporti del re Horik con Lodovico il Germanico, figlio di Lodovico il Pio, e padrone del territorio tedesco. Ma sono risultati temporanei, troppo minacciati dalla politica. Questi re del Nord, e la loro politica anche religiosa, dipendono da troppi fattori esterni: se va male una battaglia, se muore un lontano carolingio...
Tornato nei suoi ultimi anni a Brema, Ansgario non vede realizzato il sogno di un profondo radicamento cristiano al Nord. Ma per questo sogno ha messo serenamente in gioco la sua vita intera, continuando a seminare fra i temporali, con ostinatissima speranza.
Autore: Domenico Agasso
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/26000
Hl.
Ansgar : Umzeichnung eines Bild aus dem Mariendom (Hamburg) aus F.J.L.
Meyer "Blick auf die Domkirche in hamburg", Hamburg 1806 Orginalbild
heute in der St-Petri-Kirche Hamburg, eine Stifterfigur des Bildes Fehlt in der
Umzeichnung
Den hellige Ansgar av
Hamburg-Bremen (801-865)
Minnedag: 3.
februar
Nordens apostel. Kirkens
vernehelgen i Danmark, skytshelgen for Skandinavia og bispedømmene Hamburg og
Bremen; for det moderne erkebispedømmet Hamburg
Den hellige Ansgar
(Anschar, Anskar, Scharies, Oscar; fr: Anschaire; lat: Anscharius) ble født i
801 [kilden de.wikipedia.org sier rundt 796] (den 8. september?) i
Corbie i nærheten av Amiens i det nåværende departementet Somme i regionen
Picardie i det nordøstre Frankrike. Han kom fra en adelig familie. Han mistet
sin mor som femåring og hans far sendte ham da til benediktinernes klosterskole
i Corbie. Abbeden der var den hellige Adelard og
blant Ansgars lærere var den berømte hellige teologen Paschasius Radbertus.
Bare tolv år gammel trådte Ansgar i 814 selv inn i benediktinerordenen (Ordo
Sancti Benedicti – OSB) og ble munk, etter at den salige keiser Karl den Stores
(768-814; keiser fra 800) død den 24. januar 814 hadde gjort et voldsomt
inntrykk på ham. Allerede fra 816 underviste han selv ved klosterskolen.
I 823 ble Ansgar
forflyttet til en ny grunnleggelse ved bredden av Weser nær Höxter i Westfalen
i Tyskland, Nye Corbie (Corvey). Der virket han også som lærer og leder av
klosterskolen og mottok prestevigselen. Corvey skulle gjennom sin abbed Warin
Wala spille en viktig rolle i den skandinaviske misjonen organisert fra det
nordlige Tyskland. På denne tiden hadde paven gjort erkebiskop Ebo av Reims til
legat for Norden, og han forkynte evangeliet i Danmark fra 823, men uten
nevneverdig resultat. I 825 ble det en slutt på konflikten i Danmark mellom
Haarik (Horik, Erik Barn) (814-54), sønn av kong Gøttrik (Gudrød, Gudfred) som
ble myrdet i 810, og tronpretendenten Harald Klak (ca 785-ca 852). Den
landflyktige Harald Klak kom til Ingelheim for å hylle den frankiske keiseren
Ludvig den Fromme (Louis le Débonnaire) (813-40). I 826 mottok Harald
dåpen i St. Alban i Mainz sammen med sin hustru og 400 dansker. Ludvig tildelte
ham det frisiske grevskapet Hriussi ved munningen av Weser som et frankisk len.
Da Harald ba keiseren om
en misjonær for sitt folk, foreslo abbed Wala i Corvey Ansgar. På oppdrag av
synoden i Ingelheim dro Ansgar i 827 til Jylland sammen med kongen. Med seg
hadde han den hellige munken Autbert, og
beskyttet av kongen forkynte de evangeliet og grunnla en liten gutteskole i
Hedeby (det senere Slesvig). Forkynnelsen fikk straks suksess, og mange ble
omvendt. Men kong Harald ble fordrevet igjen året etter; Autbert ble syk og
måtte føres tilbake til Corvey, hvor han døde ved påsketider 829. Ansgar vendte
også Ansgar tilbake til klosteret, og han tok med seg flere av de nyomvendte
for at de skulle få utdannelse i Corvey og i andre klostre i nærheten.
Engelbert Peiffer
(1830-96): Statue av den hellige Ansgar på Trostbrücke i Hamburg
Imidlertid mottok keiser
Ludvig i 829 bud fra kong Bjørn på Håga (ca 829-ca 831) i Birka (Björkö) i
Mälaren, et betydelig handelssentrum i vikingtiden. Kongen sa at det var mange
svensker som ønsket å anta den kristne religion, og deres konge var vennlig
stemt mot den og ville gjerne gi prester lov til å ta opphold blant dem hvis
keiseren bare ville være så nådig å sende dem dyktige predikanter. Abbeden i
Corvey foreslo igjen Ansgar, som erklærte seg villig «for Kristi navns skyld».
Sammen med munken Vitmar og kongens budbringere dro han sjøveien til Sverige,
men de ble overfalt av sjørøvere underveis og plyndret, også for gaver til den
svenske kongen og for førti bøker til kirkelig bruk. De reddet seg i land og måtte
nå møysommelig begi seg gjennom skoger og uveisomme steder for å nå frem til
kong Bjørn i Birka. Det var sannsynligvis på våren 830. Her fikk de en nådig
mottakelse og tillatelse til fritt å forkynne evangeliet. Noen kjøpmenn og
slaver var allerede kristne; andre lot seg døpe, deriblant kongens høvedsmann
Hergeir, som bygde en kirke på sin eiendom. Dette var den første kristne kirken
i Sverige.
Etter halvannet år ble de
to misjonærene kalt hjem av keiser Ludvig for å avlegge rapport. De fleste
kilder er enige om at keiseren rundt 831 utnevnte Ansgar til abbed for Corvey
og første erkebiskop av Hamburg, et erkebispedømme som nettopp var opprettet
til støtte for den nordiske misjonen på en synode som trolig ble holdt i
Diedenhofen. Det omfattet alt land nord for Elben. Ansgar ble bispeviet i 831
av keiserens bror, biskop Drogo av Metz (801-55/56), og av metropolittene av
Mainz, Trier og Reims. Han reiste til Roma, hvor pave Gregor IV (827-44)
overrakte ham palliet, tegnet på den erkebiskoppelige verdighet. Paven utnevnte
i 832 Ansgar til pavelig legat for Norden med misjon blant svensker, dansker og
slavere som sin særlige oppgave. Med dette ble opprettelsen av erkebispedømmet
Hamburg godkjent av paven. Deretter delte Ansgar og erkebiskop Ebo områdene
mellom seg, slik at Ansgar fikk tildelt Danmark, mens erkebiskop Ebo utnevnte
sin søstersønn Gautbert til misjonsbiskop for Sverige. Gautbert ble bispeviet
av Ebo, Ansgar og en tredje biskop.
I Hamburg (Hammaburg) bygde
Ansgar en treskipet domkirke av tre viet til den salige Jomfru Maria, og
med hjelp fra keiser Ludvig den Fromme bygde han et tilsluttet kloster, som han
fylte med munker fra Corvey. Han grunnla også et bibliotek og en skole, hvor
han utdannet frikjøpte unge danske menn til misjonærer. Han gjenopptok sin
virksomhet i Slesvig under beskyttelse av den danske kong Haarik I, som hadde
lyktes i å samle landet. Også i Turholt i Flandern gjenopplivte han klosteret
og grunnla en misjonærskole, her trådte senere hans disippel og biograf, den
hellige Rembert,
inn. Men få år senere mistet Ansgar sitt senter i Turholt da hans store
beskytter keiser Ludvig døde i 840. I 845 ble Hamburg, som i mellomtiden hadde
utviklet seg til en liten by, brent ned av kong Haarik og hans danske vikinger,
og Ansgar ble nesten drept i angrepet.
Gjennom delingen av det
frankiske riket gikk Turholt over til Karl den Skallete (843-77), og dermed
mistet Ansgar inntektene som hadde sørget for hans misjonsarbeid. Sult og nød
fordrev mange brødre, og erkebiskopen dro hjemløs omkring. Men kong Ludvig den
Tyske (843-76) utnevnte rundt 848 Ansgar til bispesetet i Bremen, et
suffraganbispedømme under Köln som hadde tilhørt hans fiende Leudric, og kongen
håpet å styrke misjonen gjennom å slå sammen bispedømmene Hamburg og Bremen.
Sammenslutningen ble godkjent på synoden i Mainz i 848 og ratifisert i 864 av
den hellige pave Nikolas I den Store (858-67).
Heretter var Ansgar erkebiskop av Hamburg-Bremen til sin død, med en viss
jurisdiksjon over Danmark, Norge og Sverige.
På Birka kom det til en
voldsom hedensk reaksjon, en opptakt til vikingtidens store periode, som rystet
den nyetablerte skrøpelige kristendommen i sin grunnvoll. Biskop Gautbert ble
plyndret og fordrevet, hans ledsager Nithard led
martyrdøden (den første martyr i Sverige man har kjennskap til) og kirken ble revet
ned. Gautbert ble biskop av Osnabrück, uten å oppgi sine rettigheter i Sverige.
Han viet prester for Sverige, men selv vendte han aldri tilbake dit.
Også i Danmark var det
oppstått en hedensk reaksjon. Men Ansgar vant kong Haarik for seg, selv om han aldri
ble kristen, og han fikk tillatelse til å bygge den første kristne kirke der.
Kirken ble reist i Hedeby og vigslet til Guds Mor, og en
prest tok seg av den lille menigheten som etter hvert vokste opp. Men Haariks
død i 854 markerte en foreløpig slutt på kongeriket Danmark og dermed også
slutten på misjonen.
I mellomtiden var
erkebiskop Ebo død, og Ansgar var nå eneste pavelige legat for Norden. Rundt
850 dro han på sin andre reise til Birka, forsynt med varme anbefalinger fra
kong Haarik, og han sendte presten Ardgar dit. Det hjalp mye at kong Olof av
Sverige omvendte seg i 852. Ansgar fikk tillatelse til å forkynne og døpe og
etterlot sin ledsager Rimbert som prest (biskop?) der. På tilbakereisen avla
han besøk i Danmark og fikk reist en kirke i Ribe med en tilknyttet prest.
Hedeby og Ribe ble således viktige støttepunkter for hans misjon nordpå. Han
innførte bruken av kirkeklokker, som hedningene betraktet som magiske
instrumenter. Han omvendte kong Erik av Jylland (Horik II) i 854. Deretter
vendte han tilbake til Bremen.
Hjemme i sitt bispedømme
opprettet han sykehus, grunnla skoler, kjøpte fri fanger fra vikingenes
slavehandel, tok seg med stor kjærlighet av de fattige og virket ivrig for å
utbre den kristne tro og kultur og arbeidet for avskaffelse av slavehandelen.
Han fullførte en steinkirke i Bremen og grunnla tre klostre. Her skrev han også
sin biografi om Bremens første biskop, den hellige Villehad, som
var død i 789.
Ansgars store forbilde
var den hellige Martin
av Tours, og i likhet med ham synes også Ansgar å ha levd i en fruktbar
spenning mellom bot og bønn og apostolisk innsats. Han bar hårskjorte, fastet
på vann og brød når helsen tillot det, ellers praktiserte han måtehold. Flid og
en sunn, radikal syndserkjennelse ga rom for utholdende bønn, og drømmer og
syner fulgte ham livet gjennom. I sitt psalter føyde han korte personlige
bønner til hver salme han ba, en praksis som garanterte for den personlige
tilegnelse og som bredte seg til hans omgivelser. Men bønn og meditasjon drev
ham også ut i en modig og sjenerøs misjonsinnsats.
Ansgar brente etter å
forkynne evangeliet og viste en stor forkjærlighet for de fattige. «Han er den
beste mann jeg i mitt liv har sett; hans like i troskap har jeg aldri truffet
blant mennesker», skrev kong Horik II til den svenske kongen. Han var også
undergjører, helbredet mange syke med bønn og salving med olje. Men i alt dette
var han ubestikkelig sann, så da noen en gang skamroste ham for de mirakler han
gjorde, var hans svar: «Hvis Gud skulle utvelge meg til å utføre slike ting, da
ville jeg bare be ham om et eneste mirakel, nemlig at han med sin makt ville
gjøre meg til et godt menneske».
I 864 trakk Ansgar seg
tilbake og levde i fromhet og nestekjærlighet. Han hadde alltid ønsket å bli
martyr, men han døde en naturlig død etter lengre tids sykdom den 3. februar
865 i Bremen og ble gravlagt i Bremens domkirke. Snart ble han æret som helgen,
og den 9. september ett eller to år etter hans død la biskopen hans relikvier i
skrin og erklærte høytidelig at han nå også fremover kunne feires på sin
dødsdag. Dermed var han helgenkåret (en pavelig kanonisering var ennå ikke på
tale i eldre middelalder). Biskopen var antakelig Ansgars etterfølger i
embetet, den hellige Rembert (erkebiskop
865-88), som han selv hadde utpekt. Få år senere, rundt 870, skrev erkebiskop
Rembert hans biografi: Vita Anskarii. Ansgars relikvier skal ha blitt
brakt til Hildesheim, og i domkirken har de vært æret siden 1982, etter at
deres ekthet var prøvd vitenskapelig på oppdrag av biskop Heinrich Maria
Janssen. Relikvier finnes også i den katolske kirken St. Ansgar (Kleiner
Michel) i Hamburg.
Ansgars virke i Danmark
og Sverige har ikke satt mange spor. I Sverige døde Birka-misjonen ut med
erkebiskop Unnes død den 17. september 936 (den første kjente dato i svensk
historie), og landet sank tilbake i hedenskap. Først hundre år senere ble
arbeidet gjenopptatt, nå mest av engelske misjonærer, fremfor alt den
hellige Sigfrid
av Växjö, og denne gang med varig resultat.
I Danmark varte det
hedenske mellomspillet ikke så lenge. Kristendommen slo gjennom som offisiell
statsreligion rundt 860, med Harald Blåtann «som vant seg hele Danmark og Norge
og gjorde danene kristne». Jellinge-stenen er blitt kalt Danmarks dåpsattest.
Men derfra var Danmark og Norge ennå langt fra kristnet. Til Norge kom Ansgar
aldri, så «Nordens apostel» var i hovedsak apostel for Sverige, Jylland og
Slesvig. Han æres i gamle Corbie i Picardie, Nye Corbie i Sachsen og i
Skandinavia. I Tyskland er han også kjent som St. Scharies, og det er navnet på
hans kollegiatskirke i Bremen (en kirke som har kapittel uten å være domkirke).
En annen kirke i Hamburg med samme navn ble gjort om til barnehjem av
lutheranerne. St. Ansgarii-Kirche i Bremen fra 1200-tallet ble sterkt skadet
under krigen og revet på 1950-tallet.
Ifølge tradisjonen ble
Ansgar helligkåret av den hellige pave Nikolas I den Store (858-67).
Hans minnedag er 3. februar, mens translasjonsdagen 9. september også ble
feiret i Bremen til minne om overføringen av relikvier. Hans navn står i
Martyrologium Romanum. I kunsten avbildes han som biskop med mitra, stav og
bok, vanligvis med en pelsfrakk til minne om hans apostolat i de kalde nordiske
landene, noen ganger holder han en modell av katedralen i Hamburg.
Ansgar kom til Sverige
ved to anledninger, men han ble ikke lenge. Han var Nordens apostel, men han
hadde samtidig ansvaret for så mye annet at han snart vendte tilbake til
Tyskland. Kanskje er dette en del av forklaringen på at Sveriges første helgen
derfor aldri ble en populær helgen i Sverige i middelalderen. Det er påfallende
at det ikke er kjent noen kirker, kapeller eller gilder i Sverige som var
knyttet til Nordens apostel Ansgar. Det var heller ikke noen svenske gutter som
i dåpen fikk navnet Ansgar. Bare to relikvier av Ansgar er kjente. En ble lagt
ned i alteret i domkirken i Lund da den ble innviet i 1123, men selve alteret
ble vigslet til den hellige Blasius. En annen relikvie fantes i Uppsala
domkirke og ble nevnt i 1344. Men noen kult for Ansgar fantes ikke, og
forholdet var det samme i Danmark. I Norge kjente man knapt til Nordens apostel
i det hele tatt, men hit kom han da heller aldri.
Først på slutten av
1300-tallet fikk kulten for Ansgar nytt liv i Linköping da biskop Nils Hermansson skrev
et officium til hans ære. Senere spredte kulten seg til de andre svenske
bispedømmene. Men den rakk aldri å blomstre før den ble stoppet av
reformasjonen. Erkebiskop Laurentius Petri sa om helgenofficiene at de var
«uverdige til å synges i Kristi kirker», og de gamle liturgiske bøkene ble inndratt.
Mange ble brukt til pergamentpermer til Gustav Vasas regnskaper. Det var først
på 1800-tallet at minnet om Ansgar igjen ble levende i Sverige. I 1828 ble
Remberts biografi om Ansgar trykket, og i 1830 ble tusenårsjubileet for hans
ankomst til Birka feiret. Da S:ta Eugenia kirke ble innviet i Stockholm i 1982,
ble en relikvie av Ansgar murt inne i alteret.
Ansgar er skytshelgen for
de historiske bispedømmene Bremen og Hamburg og dagens erkebispedømme Hamburg.
Kilder: Attwater
(dk), Attwater/John, Attwater/Cumming, Farmer, Jones, Bentley, Lodi, Butler
(II), Benedictines, Delaney, Bunson, Engelhart, Johansson, Lundén, Martling,
Schnitzler, Schauber/Schindler, Melchers, Gorys, Dammer/Adam, KIR, CE, CSO,
Patron Saints SQPN, Infocatho, Bautz, Heiligenlexikon, santiebeati.it,
de.wikipedia.org, katolsk.dk - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Opprettet: 2001-04-30 00:47 - - Sist oppdatert: 2009-04-07 20:02
SOURCE : http://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/ansgar
Figur
des Heiligen Ansgar an der Brooksbrücke (Südseite, Speicherstadt) in Hamburg-HafenCity
sveti Oskar (Ansgar) –
škof
3. februarja
Oskar ali Ansgar, eden
velikih misijonarjev srednjega veka in pričevalec za vero, je bil kot deček
rahločuten, vendar tudi lahkomiseln in divje narave, ki jo je le težko krotil.
Prvi usodni dogodek v življenju, ki ga je zresnil, je bila smrt Karla Velikega,
enega najmogočnejših svetnih vladarjev. Šele takrat je spoznal, kako minljiva
je slava tega sveta, in začel hrepeneti po popolni vdanosti Bogu. V samostanu
Corbie je bil učenec svetega Adelarda in Radberta; z askezo, vajo in pristno
pobožnostjo je postal vreden svojega imena: pravi božji bojevnik. Star je bil
petindvajset let, ko so ga določili, da kot misijonar spremlja spreobrnjenega
kralja Haralda iz Mainza nazaj na Dansko. Dancem je pogumno oznanjal krščansko
vero, a žal le kratek čas, saj so kralja Haralda kmalu pregnali, z njim pa je
moral Dansko zapustiti tudi Oskar. Misijonarska pot ga je nato vodila na
Švedsko, kamor ga je povabil kralj Björn. Skupaj s sobratom Vitmarjem je v
Birku ob Mälarskem jezeru postavil prvo krščansko cerkev na Švedskem. Da bi
utrdili misijonsko delo v severnih deželah, je bila ustanovljena škofija v
Hamburgu, Oskar je postal prvi misijonski škof in papežev legat za vso
Skandinavijo. Ves se je posvetil delu med Danci in vodenju škofije. Ustanovil
je misijonsko šolo, kjer so se vzgajali duhovniki za misijonsko delo, začeli so
nastajati novi samostani, verske šole in cerkve. Hamburg in pokrajina Schleswig
sta se kmalu razvila v novo žarišče krščanske kulture. Misijonsko delo pa je
bilo kljub začetnim uspehom trdo in težko. Najhuje je bilo leta 845, ko so se
Danci uprli, Švedi izgnali škofa, Normani pa požgali Hamburg. Oskar se je
komajda rešil v Bremen. Tu je dosegel združitev bremenske škofije s hamburško
in bil priznan kot bremenski škof. Kljub neuspehom je Oskar svoje misijonsko
delo pogumno nadaljeval. Potem ko je pridobil švedskega kralja Olafa, so bili
misijonarji tudi med ljudstvom lepo sprejeti in krščanstvo je znova zacvetelo.
Kljub temu da je vse do zadnjega upal na mučeniško smrt, je ni dosegel, čeprav
je bilo, kakor ugotavlja njegov življenjepisec, »skoraj vse njegovo življenje
mučeništvo«. Bil je izrazito notranje usmerjen človek, a kljub temu ves predan
službi bližnjemu. Ničesar ni storil nepremišljeno ali brez notranjega navdiha in
bil vedno deležen razsvetljenja od zgoraj.
Ime: je germansko in
izhaja iz staronemškega imena Ansgar, zloženega iz besed ans »bog« in ger
»kopje«. Ime torej pomeni »božje kopje«.
Rodil se je okoli leta 801 v Pikardiji v severni Franciji, umrl pa 3. februarja
865 v Bremnu v Nemčiji.
Družina: Rodil se je v plemeniti francoski rodbini, mati mu je kmalu umrla,
tako da so ga vzgajali benediktinski menihi v samostanu Corbie.
Zavetnik: Skandinavije, Švedske in Danske, škofij Hamburg in Bremen.
Upodobitve: Slikajo ga v škofovskem ornatu s kožuhom (ker je bil apostol v
mrzlih severnih deželah) z mitro in palico, včasih tudi s knjigo ali modelom
cerkve. Pogosto je obdan s spreobrnjenimi kristjani.
Misel: »Hotel je biti oko slepim, noga hromim in resnični oče revežem«
(življenjepisec in naslednik, škof Rimbert).
Goduje: 3. februarja.
Vir
Na Saškem, sveti Ansgar,
hamburški škof in pozneje hkrati bremenski, ki je bil najprej kot corbeienski
menih določen, od papeža Gregorja IV., za ves Sever za legata. Na Danskem in
Švedskem je oznanjal evangelij množici ljudstev in ustanovil Kristusovo Cerkev.
Odločno je premagoval mnoge težave, dokler se ni v Bremi, izčrpan od dela,
spočil.
Vir
SOURCE : https://svetniki.org/sveti-oskar-ansgar-skof/
Fenster
mit Glasmalerei St. Ansgar in der Propsteikirche St. Anna in Schwerin,
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Deutschland
Stained
glass window St. Ansgar of Church St. Anna in Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,
Germany
Life of Anskar, the
Apostle of the North, 801-865 : http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/anskar.asp et
Voir aussi : http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/rbph_0035-0818_1931_num_10_3_6802_t1_0678_0000_2
http://orthodoxievco.net/ecrits/vies/synaxair/fevrier/anschaire.pdf
