| Saint Birinus | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Bishop | |
| Born | c. 600, France |
| Died | 3 December 649, Dorchester, Oxfordshire, England |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church; Anglican Communion |
| Major shrine | Dorchester Abbey, now destroyed. Small parts survive. Modern replica now in place. (Or Winchester Cathedral, now destroyed). |
| Feast | 3 December, 4 September |
| Attributes | bishop, sometimes baptising a king |
| Patronage | Berkshire; Dorchester |
| Controversy | body claimed by both Dorchester Abbey and Winchester Cathedral |
| Denomination | Catholic |
|---|---|
| Senior posting | |
| See | Bishop of Dorchester |
| Period in office | 634–649 |
| Predecessor | new foundation |
| Successor | Agilbertus |
| Personal | |
| Date of birth | c600 |
| Date of death | 3 December 649 |
Saint Birinus (c. 600–649), venerated as a saint, was the first Bishop of Dorchester,[1] and the "Apostle to the West Saxons".
After St. Augustine of Canterbury performed initial conversions in England, Birinus, a Frank, came to the kingdoms of Wessex in 634,[2] landing at the port of "Hamwic", now in the St. Mary's area of Southampton. During Birinus's brief time at Hamwic, St. Mary's Church was founded.[3]
Birinus had been made bishop by Asterius in Genoa,[4] and Pope Honorius I created the commission to convert the West Saxons.[5] In 635, he persuaded the West Saxon king Cynegils to allow him to preach. Cynegils was trying to create an alliance with Oswald of Northumbria, with whom he intended to fight the Mercians. At the final talks between kings, the sticking point was that Oswald, being a Christian, would not ally himself with a heathen. Cynegils then converted and was baptized,[6] and he gave Birinus Dorchester-on-Thames for his episcopal see.[5] Birinus's original commission entailed preaching to parts of Britain where no missionary efforts had reached, and may have included instructions to reach the Mercians, but in the end Birinus stayed in the West Saxon kingdom, or Wessex as it became known.[7]
Birinus was very active in establishing churches in Wessex.[4] After Cynegils' death, the new king, Cenwalh, established a church at Winchester,[8] perhaps under Birinus' direction. He also supposedly laid the foundations for St. Mary's in Reading, Saint Helen's in Abingdon and other churches across old Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.[citation needed] According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Birinus baptised Cynegils's son Cwichelm (d. 636)[9] and grandson Cuthred (d. 661), to whom he stood as godfather.[10]
His feast day is 3 December in the Roman Catholic Church,[11] but some churches celebrate his feast on 5 December. In the Church of England his feast day falls on 4 September and has the status of a Commemoration.[12] His relics were eventually translated to Winchester after his death.[13]
Notes
- ^ Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 219
- ^ Walsh A New Dictionary of Saints p. 102
- ^ Coles, R.J. (1981). Southampton's Historic Buildings. City of Southampton Society. p. 6.
- ^ a b Bede Ecclesiastical History 3.7
- ^ a b Kirby Earliest English Kings p. 38
- ^ Patron Saints Index: Birinus accessed on 1 September 2007
- ^ Kirby Earliest English Kings p. 51
- ^ Kirby Earliest English Kings p. 45
- ^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an. 636
- ^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an. 639
- ^ Catholic Online Saints and Angels St. Birinus accessed on 1 September 2007
- ^ Common Worship (Main Volume), p. 13
- ^ Kirby Earliest English Kings p. 49
References
- Bately, Janet M. (1986). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: A Collaborative Edition. Vol. 3: MS. A. Cambridge. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer. ISBN 0-85991-103-9.
- Bede (1969). Bede's ecclesiastical history of the English people. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0198222025.
- Catholic Online Saints and Angels St. Birinus accessed on 1 September 2007
- Kirby, D. P. (2000). The Earliest English Kings. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-24211-8.
- Patron Saints Index: Birinus accessed on 1 September 2007
- Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961
- Walsh, Michael A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West London: Burns & Oats 2007 ISBN 0-8601-2438-X
External links
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by new foundation |
Bishop of Dorchester 634–649 |
Succeeded by Agilbertus |
 |
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