.jpg)
L'église Saint-Botolphe (en) de Boston, dans le Lincolnshire.
Saint Botolf
(+ 655)
ou Botulphe.
Originaire de Maestricht, il fut converti alors que son pays était encore païen. Il passa alors en Belgique, puis en Angleterre, pour trouver un lieu désertique et mieux se consacrer à Dieu. Les invasions danoises détruisirent son ermitage. Il fut très honoré en Angleterre, jusqu'au jour où celle-ci quitta l'Église romaine.
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/6074/Saint-Botolf.html
St Botolph's Church, the earliest church in Boston, Lincolnshire
Botulph, OSB Abbot (AC)
(also known as Botulf, Botolph)
Died c. 680; feast of his translation is December 1. Botulph and his brother,
Saint Adulph, were two noble English brothers at the dawn of Christianity on
that island. They were probably born in East Anglia. At some point they
traveled into Belgian Gaul to learn more about Christian discipline in a
monastery because they were then scarce in England. They progressed in the
spiritual life to the point that Adulph is said to have been raised to the
episcopate, though this is questioned. Botulph is said to have been chaplain to
the convent where two of his king's sisters lived, possibly at Chelles.
(Liobsynde, the first abbess of Wenlock (Salop), was from Chelles and Wenlock
was initially dependent on Ikanhoe.)
Botulph returned to England
with the treasure he had found and begged King Ethelmund of the South Saxons
for land on which to set it. The king gave him the wilderness of Ikanhoe
(Icanhoh), formerly thought to be near Boston (Botulf's stone) in Lincolnshire
but now believed to be Iken in Suffolk. (Others relate that the land was
provided by the king of East Anglia, either Ethelhere, 654, or more likely
Ethelwold, 654-64.) There he built an abbey and taught the assembled brethren
the rules of Christian perfection and the institutes of the holy fathers. He became
one of the foremost missionaries of the 7th century.
Everyone loved Botulph: He
was humble, mild, and affable. He always practiced what he preached, finding an
upright example far more important than sermons. Nevertheless, Saint Ceolfrid
travelled all the way from Wearmouth to converse with this man "of
remarkable life and learning" before joining Saint Benedict Biscop at
Wearmouth. Botulph thanked God in good times and in bad, knowing that God works
all things to the good of those who love Him. He lived to a venerable age and
was purified by a long illness before his happy death
Although his monastery was
destroyed by the Danes, his relics were carried to Ely (the head) and Thorney
Abbeys. It is said that when Ethelwold sent his disciple Ulfkitel to collect
the relics of Botulph for Thorney Abbey, he found that he could not move them
without also taking those of Adulph as well. Saint Edward the Confessor gave
some of them to Westminster and others are at Bury Saint Edmunds. More than 70
English churches were dedicated to Saint Botulph, including four parishes in
London. Name other place names also recall his sanctity including the town of
Boston in Lincolnshire and Botulph's bridge, now Bottle-bride, in
Huntingdonshire (Attwater, Benedictines, Farmer, Husenbeth).
In
art, Saint Adulph, bishop, and Saint Botulf, abbot, hold the Abbey of Ikanhoe,
Suffolk, England. The four gates of the City of London are dedicated to them
(Roeder).
St Botolph's Church, Iken, Suffolk
June 17
St. Botulph, Abbot
SS. BOTULPH
and ADULPH were two noble English brothers who opened their eyes to the light
of faith in the first dawning of the day of the gospel upon our ancestors.
Astonished at the great truths which they had learned and penetrated with the
most profound sentiments which religion inspires, they travelled into the
Belgic Gaul there to find some religious houses and schools of virtue, which
were then scarce in England. Such was the progress of these holy men that they
soon were judged fit to be themselves masters. Nor was it long before Adulph
was advanced to the bishopric of Maestricht, which he administered in so holy a
manner, that he is honoured in France among the saints on the 17th of June. St.
Botulph returned to England to bring to his own country the treasure he had
found. Addressing himself to king Ethelmund he begged some barren spot of
ground to found a monastery. The king gave him the wilderness of Ikanho, where
he built an abbey, and taught the brethren whom he assembled there the rules of
Christian perfection, and the institutes of the holy fathers. He was beloved by
every one, being humble, mild and affable. All his discourse was on things
which tended to edification, and his example was still far more efficacious to
instil the true spirit of every virtue. When he was oppressed with any sickness
he never ceased thanking and praising God with holy Job. Thus he persevered to
a good old age. He was purified by a long illness before his happy death, which
happened in the same year with that of St. Hilda, 655. His monastery having
been destroyed by the Danes, his relics were carried, part to the monastery of
Ely, and part to that of Thorney. St. Edward the Confessor afterwards bestowed
some portion of them on his own abbey of Westminster. Few English saints have
been more honoured by our ancestors. Four parishes in London, and innumerable
others throughout the country bear his name. Botulph’s town, now Boston, in
Lincolnshire, and Botulph’s bridge, now Bottle-bridge, in Huntingdonshire, are
so called from him. Leland and Bale will have his monastery of Ikanho to have
been in one of those two places; Hickes says at Boston; others think it was
towards Sussex; for Ethelmund seems to have been king of the South-Saxons.
Thorney abbey was situated in Cambridgeshire, and was one of those whose abbots
sat in parliament. It was founded in 972 in honour of St. Mary and St. Botulph.
In its church lay interred St. Botulph, St. Athulf, St. Huna, St. Tancred, St.
Tothred, St. Hereferth, St. Cissa, St. Bennet, St. Tova or Towa, to whose
memory a fair chapel called Thoueham, half a mile off in the wood, was
consecrated. Thorney was anciently called Ancarig, that is, the Isle of
Anchorets. Part of the relics of St. Botulph was kept at Medesham, afterwards
called Peterburgh. See Dr. Brown Willis, on mitred Abbeys, t. 1, p. 187, and
the life of St. Botulph published by Mabillon, Act. Ben. t. 3, p. 1, and by
Papebroke, t. 3, Junij, p. 398. The anonymous author of this piece declares he
had received some things which he relates from the disciples of the saint who
had lived under his direction. There is also in the Cottonian library, n. 111,
a MS. life of St. Botulph compiled by Folcard, first a monk of St. Bertin’s at
St. Omer, afterwards made by the Conqueror abbot of Thorney in 1068. See also
Narratio de Sanctis qui in Anglia quiescunt, translated from the English-Saxon
into Latin by Francis Junius, and published by Dr. Hickes, Diss. Epist. pp. 118, 119. Thesauri, t. 1.
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume VI: June. The Lives of the Saints. 1866.
St. Botulph
(Or BOTOLPH.)
Abbot, date of birth unknown; died c. 680. St. Botulph,
the saint whose name is perpetuated in that of the
American city of Boston, Massachusetts, was certainly an historical
personage, though the story of his life is very confused and unsatisfactory.
What information we possess about him is mainly derived from a short biography
by Folcard, monk of St. Bertin and Abbot of Thorney, who wrote in the eleventh century
(Hardy, Catalogue of Brit. Hist., I, 373). According to him Botulph was born of
noble Saxon parents who were Christians, and was sent with his brother Adulph to the
Continent for the purpose of study. Adulph remained abroad, where he is stated
to have become Bishop of Utrecht, though his name does not occur in any of the
ancient lists. Botulph, returning to England, found favour with a certain Ethelmund,
"King of the southern Angles", whose sisters he had known in Germany, and was by him permitted to choose a tract of
desolate land upon which to build a monastery. This place, surrounded by water and called
Icanhoe (Ox-island), is commonly identified with the town of Boston in Lincolnshire, mainly on account of its name
(Boston=Botulph's town). There is, however, something to suggest that the true spot may be the village of Iken in Suffolk
which of old was almost encircled by the little river Alde, and in which the
church is also dedicated to St. Botulph. In favour of Lincolnshire must be
reckoned the fact that St. Botulph was much honoured in the North and in Scotland. Thus his feast was entered in the York calendar
but not in that of Sarum. Moreover, even Folcard speaks of the Scots as
Botulph's neighbours (vicini). In favour of Suffolk, on the other
hand, may be quoted the tradition that St. Botulph, who is also called
"bishop", was first buried at Grundisburgh, a village near
Woodbridge, and afterwards translated to Bury St. Edmunds. This, however, may
be another person, since he is always closely associated with a
certain St. Jurmin (Arnold, Memorials of Bury, I, 352). That Botulph really did
build a monastery at Icanhoe is attested by an entry
in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle under the year 654: Botulf ongan thæt mynster
timbrian æt Yceanho, i.e. Botulph began to build the minster at Icanhoe.
That the saint must have lived somewhere in the Eastern
counties is proved by the indisputable evidence of the
"Historia Abbatum" (Plummer's Bede, I, 389), where we learn that Ceolfrid, Bede's beloved master at Wearmouth, "journied to the East Angles in order
that he might see the foundation of Abbot Botulphus, whom fame had proclaimed
far and wide to be a man of remarkable life and learning, full of the grace of
the Holy Spirit", and the account goes on to say that Ceolfrid
"having been abundantly instructed, so far as was possible in a short
time, returned home so well equipped that no one could be found more learned
than he either in ecclesiastical or monastic traditions".
Folcard represents St. Botulph as living and dying at Icanhoe in spite of the
molestations of the evil spirits to which he was exposed at his
first coming. Later accounts, e.g. the lessons of the Schleswig Breviary, suppose him to have changed his habitation
more than once and to have built at one time a monastery upon the bank of the Thames in honour of St. Martin. His relics are said after the incursions of the Danes to
have been recovered and divided by St. Aethelwold between Ely, Thorney Abbey,
and King Edgar's private chapel. What is more certain is that St. Botulph was honoured by many dedications of churches, over fifty in
all, especially in East Anglia and in the North. His name is perpetuated not
only by the little town of Boston in Lincolnshire with its American homonym, but
also by Bossal in Yorkshire, Botesdale in Suffolk, Botolph Bridge in
Huntingdonshire, and Botolph in Sussex. In England his feast was kept on 17 June, in Scotland on 25 June.
Sources
STANTON, Menology, 271; Acta SS., June, III, 402;
MABILLON, Acta SS. Benedict., III, 1; STUBBS in Dict. Christ. Biog.;
GRANT, in Dict. Nat. Biog.; FORBES, Calendars of Scottish Saints
(Edinburgh, 1872), 283; and especially ARNOLD-FORSTER, Church Dedications
(London, 1899), II, 52-56.
Thurston, Herbert. "St. Botulph." The Catholic Encyclopedia.
Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 17 Jun. 2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02709a.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for
New Advent by Steve Fanning.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2020
by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Botulph
is a popular medieval saint whose name has been honoured in the dedication of
many East Anglian churches. Owen Spencer-Thomas tells the story of this Saxon
saint.
Botulph was one of the most popular British saints of the early Middle
Ages. He was a nobleman who went to the Continent to become a Benedictine monk
and returned to England to found a monastery in East Anglia. Although the life
story of this humble affable man is sketchy, records show that he did exist in
history and his story is more fact than legend.
Born into a Christian Saxon family in the early seventh century, Botulph
and his brother Adulph were educated by Saint Fursey in Cnobersburg monastery,
located at Burgh Castle near Great Yarmouth. When Mercian forces invaded the
region, the boys were sent to Europe and became Benedictines. Botulph was sent
back to England in 647 to establish the Benedictine Order, while Adulph
remained in Europe and became a bishop.
On his return, Botulph approached the little known King of the southern
Angles, Ethelmund, whose sisters he had known in Germany. The King offered
Botulph part of the royal estate upon which to build a monastery. Instead he
settled for a desolate, barren site, reported to be haunted by demons.
With the support of Saint Syre, Saint Aubierge, and their brother, King
Anna of East Anglia, Botulph founded the monastery of Ikanhoe (Ox-island),
which according to the Saxon Chronicle, was established in 654 AD as a
Benedictine abbey.
The site was surrounded by water and endless work was needed to make
this austere place viable. But Botulph attracted enough brother monks and
hermits and soon, through their hard work and faith, the monastery grew. The
monks built several structures, turned large areas of marsh and scrub into
productive grazing and farm land, and dispelled the local people's fear of
demons.
No one knows for sure where Ikanhoe was - the two modern contenders are
Iken in Suffolk and Boston in Lincolnshire. For many years local historians
believed that the developing area around the monastery came to be called
Botulph's Town, then Botulphston, with the name finally contracted to Boston.
However, more recent research suggests that the actual spot may be the
village of Iken, near Snape in east Suffolk which, centuries ago, was almost
encircled by the River Alde. The church there is also dedicated to St. Botulph.
During his time at the monastary, Botulph also worked as a travelling
missionary through rough, bandit-plagued areas of East Anglia, Kent and Sussex.
It is believed he died after a long illness while being carried to
chapel for a compline service on 17 June 680 – the date his feast is
commemorated. He was
buried there at Ikanhoe.
A couple of centuries later his relics were removed to prevent them from
being destroyed by invading Danes. It is believed they were transferred to
Grundisburgh, a village near Woodbridge and later for safety distributed to the
monasteries at Ely, Thorney and Bury St. Edmunds. According to legend, the
relics destined for Bury were taken by night and the travellers were guided by
a light that shone above the site of the new shrine. In the 11th century, a
portion of Botulph’s relics were also taken to the Abbey of Westminster after
it was rebuilt by Edward the Confessor.
Although there is some uncertainty as to where Botulph’s relics lie, what is
not in doubt is that he was honoured by many churches dedicated to his name -
well over fifty, chiefly in East Anglia. They bear witness to his untiring work
which strengthened the Benedictine movement for many centuries after his
lifetime.
Some of these churches were built at the ancient city gates to serve as safe-havens
for travellers in times when robbers and footpads lurked along the roadways.
Botolph is regarded as the patron saint for travellers and itinerants, and also
farmers and agricultural workers.
His name is perpetuated not only at Boston in Lincolnshire but also by
the New World city of Boston in Massachusetts. He gave his name to several
English villages including Bottlebridge near Peterborough. Originally called
Botulph’s Bridge, the village lost its identity when it became part of Orton
Longueville parish in 1762.
Saint Botulph of Ikanhoe
Also
known as
- Botolph
- Botulf
- Botwulf
- 17 June
- 25 June
(Scotland)
- 1
December (translation of relics)
Profile
Born to a Christian
Saxon noble family. Brother of Saint Adolph
of Utrecht. Educated
with his brother at the monastery
of Cnobersburg (Burgh Castle), Suffolk under the direction of its founder, Saint
Fursey. When Mercian forces under King
Penda invaded the region, the boys
were sent to study at the monastery
at Bosanham, Sussex. He became a Benedictine
monk
at Farmoutiere-en-Brie, Gaul
(modern northeastern France),
and was sent back to the British Isles in 647
to establish the Benedictine
Order there.
With the support of Saint
Syre, Saint
Aubierge, and their brother, King
Anna of East
Anglia, Botulph founded the monastery
of Ikanhoe in East
Anglia, declining the offer of a part of the royal estate, and settling for
a wild, barren site that was removed from people, reported to be haunted by demons,
and which would require endless work to sustain the monks.
For many years it was believed that the area that grew up around it came to be
called Botulph’s Town, contracted to Botulphston, and later
contracted to Boston in Lincolnshire, but recent reasearch has shown
that the original site is another location. The Saxon Chronicle
indicates that by 654
Botulph had attracted enough brother monks
and hermits
that work begain on the monastery.
Through hard work and faith, the monastery
grew in population; the monks
built several structures, turned large areas of marsh and scrub into productive
farming and grazing lands, and dispelled the people’s fears of demons.
Botulph served as spiritual
director for Saint
Ceolfrith, and worked as a travelling
missionary
through rough, bandit-plagued areas of East
Anglia, Kent and Sussex. His legacy continued for centuries in the strength
of the Benedictine
movement in the Isles, and in the dozens of churches named for him, many of
them built at city gates to serve as safe-haven for travellers
in times when robbers roamed the roads, and many in port or river towns.
Born
- c.610
in East
Anglia (part of modern England)
- 17 June
680
of natural causes following a lengthy illness
- he died
while being carried to chapel
for compline
services
- buried
at Ikanhoe
- relics
moved in 870
to keep them from being destroyed by invading Danes
- relics
transferred to Grundisburgh in 983
- relics
later distributed to monasteries
at Thornery, Westminster,
and Edmundsburg, Suffolk
- tradition says that for safety the cask of relics
destined for Edmundsburg were taken there in the middle of the night, but
the travellers
were guided by a light that hovered above the relics‘
new shrine
- processions of the relics
through Edmundsburgh has ended droughts there
- agricultural
workers
- Bossal,
Yorkshire, England
- Boston,
Lincolnshire, England
- Boston,
Massachusetts,
USA
- Botesdale,
Suffolk, England
- Botolph
Bridge, Huntingdonshire, England
- Botolph’s
Bridge, Kent, England
- Botolphs,
Sussex, England
- farm
workers
- sailors
- travellers
- abbot
holding a church in his hand
- abbot
holding a monastery
in his hand
- blue field with undulating silver lines
superimposed with an inverted gold chevron with a gold cross at its point
(his coat of arms)
St Botolph was an English abbot who died in around the year 680. His feast day is on 17 June. Little is known of the saint, other than, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle under 654, ‘Botulf ongan thoet mynster timbrian oet Yceanho’, ‘Botolph founded an abbey at Icanhoe’, meaning Ox-island. Some claim the abbey was at Iken in Essex, others in Lincolnshire, where Boston is a contraction of ‘Botolph’s town’.
As the patron saint of travellers, four churches at the gates of the city took his name, our neighbour St Botolph without Bishopsgate, St Botolph without Aldersgate at the other end of the City and St Botolph without Billingsgate, which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. On their way to and from the City people would stop and pray and give thanks for travelling mercies.
O God, by whose grace the blessed Abbot Botolph,
enkindled with the fire of your love,
became a burning and a shining light in your church;
grant that we may be inflamed
with the same spirit of discipline and love,
and ever walk before you as children of the light,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Voir aussi : http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/print71898.htm
