Æthelwold of Winchester
- For the second Bishop of Winchester of this name and all other homonyms see Æthelwold
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Senior posting | |
| See | Bishop of Winchester |
| Title | |
| Period in office | 963–984 |
| Predecessor | Beorhthelm of Winchester |
| Successor | Aelfheah II |
| Personal | |
| Date of birth | 909 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | August 1, 984 |
| Place of death | Beddington, Surrey |
| Æthelwold | |
|---|---|
| Died | August 1, 984 |
| Feast | |
 |
|
Saint Æthelwold of Winchester (also spelled Aethelwald, Ethelwold, etc) (909-984) was a 10th century Bishop of Winchester and leader of the monastic reform movement in Anglo-Saxon England.
Life
Æthelwold was born in Winchester of good parentage in about 909. After a youth spent at the court of King Athelstan, Æthelwold placed himself under Alphege the Bald, Bishop of Winchester, who gave him the tonsure and ordained him priest along with Saint Dunstan. Æthelwold became a monk at Glastonbury Abbey, where he was dean during Dunstan's abbacy, until about 955 when he was appointed Abbot of Abingdon.[1][2]
On 29 November 963, he was consecrated Bishop of Winchester[3] by Saint Dunstan, and with Oswald of Worcester, he worked zealously in combating the general corruption occasioned by the Danish inroads into the country. At Winchester, both in the Old and the New Minster, he replaced the evil-living seculars with monks and refounded the ancient nunnery known as Nunnaminster. His labours extended to Chertsey, Milton, Ely, Peterborough, Thorney and elsewhere; expelling the unworthy, rebuilding and restoring.[4] The epithets "father of monks" and "benevolent bishop" summarize Æthelwold's character as reformer and friend of Christ's poor.[5] Though he suffered much from ill-health, his life as scholar, teacher, prelate and Royal counsellor was ever austere, said to be "terrible as a lion" to the rebellious, yet "gentler than a dove" to the meek. He is said to have written a treatise on the circle and to have translated the "Regularis Concordia".[4] He died on 1 August 984[3] at Beddington in Surrey.[4]
Veneration
He was buried in the Old Minster at Winchester, his body being translated by Alphege, his successor, and then again into the new Cathedral. By the 12th century, Abingdon Abbey had acquired an arm and a leg [1].
His liturgical feast is kept on 1 August.[5]
Notes
- ^ Anglo-Saxons.net Charter S567 accessed on September 5, 2007
- ^ Kelly "Charters of Abingdon, part 1" Anglo-Saxon Charters
- ^ a b Powicke Handbook of British Chronology p. 257
- ^ a b c Walsh A New Dictionary of Saints p. 184
- ^ a b Catholic Online Saints and Angels: St. Ethelwold accessed on September 5, 2007
References
- Anglo-Saxons.net Charter S567 accessed on September 5, 2007
- Britannia Bios St. Aethelwold
- Catholic Encyclopedia, 1909: St. Ethelwold
- This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913. [2]
- Catholic Online Saints and Angels: St. Ethelwold accessed on September 5, 2007
- Detail of St. Æthelwold, The Benedictional of St. Æthelwold
- Early British Kingdoms: St. Aethelwold, Bishop of Winchester (AD 909-984)
- Early British Kingdoms for Kids: Aethelwold & Monastic Reforms
- Fryde, E. B. and others, 1986. Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd edition.
- Kelly, S. E. 2000. Charters of Abingdon, part 1. Anglo-Saxon Charters 7.
- Lapidge, M and Winterbottom, M, 1991. Wulfstan of Winchester: Life of St AEthelwold.
- Lambertson, Reader Isaac. Commemoration of Our Father among the Saints Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester
- London, British Library, MS. Add. 49598 (The Benedictional of St. Æthelwold)
- 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 & Oates 2007 ISBN 0-8601-2438-X
- Yorke, Barbara 1997. Bishop Aethelwold: His Career and Influence
See Also
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Beorhthelm of Winchester |
Bishop of
Winchester 963–984 |
Succeeded by Aelfheah II |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
