Saint Accas
(✝ 740)
Évêque en
Angleterre. Il était l'ami de Bède le Vénérable. Après avoir évangélisé la
Frise il revint en Angleterre au diocèse d'Hexham.
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/8597/Saint-Accas.html
Hexham Abbey
Saint Acca of Hexham
- 20 October
- formerly 19 October
- 19 February (translation of relics)
Profile
Grew up in the household
of Saint Bosa of York, and became his
spiritual student, aide, and travelling companion. Benedictine monk. Close friend of and chaplain to Saint Wilfrid, and accompanied him on trips to the continent. Friend of the Venerable Bede, who dedicated some of
his writings to Acca. Abbot of Saint Andrews at Hexham, England in 709, nominated by Saint Wilfrid just before that holy man died.Bishop of Hexham.
Built churches, and
re-outfitted the principal church at Hexham. Had a beautiful singing voice, and encouraged the revival of vocal music in British liturgy. First English prelate to appeal to Vatican in a dispute. Believed the Church in England needed to be more like Rome in liturgical form. Bible scholar with a largetheological library who supplied information for Bede‘s Ecclesiastical History.
Political intrigues led
to king Ceolwulf of Northumbria being kidnapped in 731, and forced to enter amonastery. Ceolwulf’s supporters
later restored him to the throne, and Acca was exiled, which probably
indicates his involvement in the coup. Some records imply that he fled west,
and was appointed bishop of Whithorn.
Born
- c.660 in Northumbria, England
- 20 October 742 at Whithorn, Galloway, Scotland of natural causes
- buried beside the east wall of Hexham Cathedral between two huge stone crosses decorated with vines and tendrils, which survive
to today and can be seen in the abbey church
- relics translated in the late 10th century, in 1154, and in 1240
Reste de la croix de Saint Acca, Hexham
Abbey
St. Acca
Bishop of Hexham, and patron of learning (c. 660-742). Acca was a
Northumbrian by birth and began life in the household of a certain Bosa, who
afterwards became Bishop of York. After a few years, however, Acca
attached himself to St. Wilfrid and remained his devoted disciple and companion in all his troubles.
He may have joined Wilfrid as early as 678, and he certainly was with him at
the time of his second journey to Rome in 692. On their return to England, when Wilfrid was reinstated at Hexham, he made Accaabbot of St. Andrew's monastery there; and after Wilfrid's death
(709) Acca succeeded him as bishop. The work of completing and
adorning the churches left unfinished by St. Wilfrid was energetically carried on by his
successor. In ruling the diocese and in conducting the services of
the Church, Acca was equally zealous. He brought to the North a famous cantor named Maban, who had learned in Kent the Roman traditions of psalmody
handed down from St. Gregory the Great through St. Augustine. He was famed also for his theological learning, and for his encouragement
of students by every means in his power. It was at Acca's instigation that
Eddius undertook the Life of St. Wilfrid, and above all, it was to the same
kind friend and patron that Bede dedicated several of his most
important works, especially those dealing with Holy Scripture. For some unexplained reason Acca
was driven from hisdiocese in 732. He is believed to have
retired to Withern in Galloway, but he returned to Hexham before his death in 742, when he was
at once revered as a Saint. Two crosses of exquisite
workmanship, one of which is still preserved in a fragmentary state, were
erected at the head and foot of his grave. When the body of the Saint was
translated, the vestments were found entire, and the accounts
of his miracles were drawn up by St. Ælred and by Simeon of Durham. Of any true liturgical cultus there is little trace, but
his feast is said to have been kept on 20
October. There is also mention of 19 February, which may have been the date of
some translation of his relics.
Sources
The only writing of Acca's which we possess is a letter addressed to St.
Bede and printed in his works. This document, together with much other material
relating to Acca, has also been printed in RAINE'S Priory of Hexham (London, 1864), Surtees Society, 1864.
Our knowledge of Acca's life is derived primarily from BEDE, EDDIUS, SIMEON OF
DURHAM, RICHARD OF DURHAM, and AELRED. Adequate accounts may be also found in
STANTON'S English Menology (London, 1892), 507; Dict. of Nat. Biog,; Dict. of
Christ. Biog. For some archaeological sidelights, cf. BROWNE (Anglican
Bishop), Theodore and
Wilfrith (London, 1897).
Thurston,
Herbert. "St. Acca." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert
Appleton Company, 1907. 19 Oct. 2019 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01093a.htm>.
Transcription. This article
was transcribed for New Advent by Stephen Patrick Wilson. Dedicated to
Pope John Paul II.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John
Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Hexham Abbey
St. Acca, Bishop
of Hexham
(Died AD 740)
During his youth, Acca joined the household of Bishop Bosa of York, where he fell in with the Romanist party and became a faithful
friend of St. Wilfred, Abbot of Ripon. They
were constant companions for thirteen, often turbulent, years and Acca
accompanied the great man on many of his Continental visits.
Upon, Wilfred's deathbed
(AD 709), he nominated Acca to succeed him as Abbot of Hexham and, in the
event, he was able to take up the Bishopric as well. He completed the building
work started by his friend and decorated the principal church at Hexham with
altars, sacred vessels and holy relics.
Acca was an accomplished
singer and a noted scholar of the age. Bede praised the high quality and wide-ranging diversity of his theological
library; and dedicated several of his biblical works to the Bishop. The two
seem to have known each other well, for when Acca found St. Ambrose's
commentary on St. Luke too long, he encouraged the father of English History to
write a reduced version. He later supplied Bede with information for the
Ecclesiastical History.
In AD 731, political
intrigues led to King Ceolwulf of Northumbria being seized by unknown opponents
and forced to enter a monastery. His supporters subsequently restored him to
the throne, but vengeance was swift and Bishop Acca expulsion from his see soon
afterward almost certainly indicates his involvement in the coup. Some records
imply that he fled west where he was appointed Bishop of Whithorn.
Acca died on 20th
October AD 740. He was buried beside the east wall of Hexham Cathedral, between
two huge stone crosses decorated with Mediterranean-style vines and tendrils.
These survive largely intact and can be seen today inside the Abbey Church.
ACCA OF HEXHAM, ST.
Bishop of
Hexham; d. Hexham, England, Oct. 20, 740. A Northumbrian, he was fostered by
Bosa (d. 705), who was afterward appointed bishop of York (678), and he became
the devoted disciple and companion of wilfrid. When the latter was reinstated
at Hexham in 705, he made Acca abbot of St. Andrew's monastery there. Acca
succeeded Wilfrid as bishop of Hexham in 709. In addition to ruling the diocese
with zeal, he concerned himself with the promotion of the liturgy in all its splendor
by procuring the service of the cantor Maban (fl. 720), who had inherited the
Roman tradition of psalmody of gregory the great, brought to England by the
monks of Augustine of Canterbury. He completed, decorated, and richly furnished
the churches begun by Wilfrid. He promoted learning, built and equipped a
famous library, and, above all, encouraged bede, who wrote about him and
dedicated several books to him. He was expelled from Hexham in 732 for some
unknown reason; he sought refuge in Galloway but returned to die and be buried
in his diocese.
Feast: Oct. 20.
Bibliography: bede, Ecclesiastical
History 5:19–20;
ed. c. plummer 1:330–332.
j. godfrey,The Church in Anglo-Saxon England (Cambridge, England 1962), passim. a. s. cook, "The Old-English
Andreas and Bishop Acca of Hexham," Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts
and Sciences 26 (1924) 245–332.
a. m. zimmermann, Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg
1957–65)
1:103; Kalendarium
Benedictinum (Metten 1933–38)
3:200–203.
[c. mcgrath]
SOURCE : https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/acca-hexham-st
Sant’ Acca di Hexham Abate e vescovo
Hexham,
Inghilterra, 688 circa - Hexham, Inghilterra, 20 ottobre 740
Sant’Acca di Hexham è un abate e vescovo vissuto nell’VIII secolo.
Nacque a Hexham intorno all’anno 688. E’ stato vescovo nell’antica sede di
Hexhan, che fu eretta nel 678 ed assieme alla diocesi di Lindisfarne,
fondata da sant’Aidano, e che costituiva la parte principale della
struttura ecclesiastica dell'antico regno di Northumbria.
La diocesi di Hexham aveva sede nel monastero fondato nel 674 da Vilfrido di
York e che si estendeva nel territorio compreso tra i fiumi Aln e Tees.
Nella lista dei tredici vescovi conosciuti di Hexham, sant’Acca figura al
settimo posto. Succede a San Vilfrido di York e precede San Frithbert,
governando la diocesi per oltre vent’anni, tra gli anno 709 e 732.
Sant’Acca era amico di Beda il venerabile, che
gli dedicò alcune delle sue opere.
Prima di essere nominato vescovo fu abate del monastero di Sant’Andrea.
Sant’Acca fu tra i protagonisti dell’espansione del Cristianesimo in
Inghilterra, promuovendo la cultura latina e il canto gregoriano.
Dopo la deposizione di re Ceolwulf di Northumbria dovette per qualche tempo
lasciare Hexham.
Sant’Acca morì il giorno, 20 ottobre 740, a Hexham.
La sua memoria è ricordata nel giorno della sua festa il 20 ottobre.
Autore: Mauro Bonato
