Hierarch 7th century

Saint Augustine Archbishop of Canterbury

died c. 604

Also known as Augustine of Canterbury · Evangelizer of England

A monk of Rome whom St Gregory the Dialogist sent with forty brethren to preach to the English; landing in Kent in 597, he baptized King Ethelbert and his people and became the first archbishop of Canterbury.

Feast Day

May 26

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Augustine, Archbishop of Canterbury, Apostle to the English

Come to them for

Missionary Work

Life

Augustine of Canterbury was a monk of Rome whom Pope Saint Gregory the Great (Gregory the Dialogist) sent at the head of about forty brethren to preach the Gospel to the Anglo-Saxons. Landing in Kent in 597, he became the first Archbishop of Canterbury and the principal figure in the conversion of the English. He is venerated as a pre-schism Western saint and is commemorated on May 26. He is distinct from the earlier Saint Augustine of Hippo.

Before his mission Augustine had been prior of the monastery of Saint Andrew in Rome. Gregory chose him to lead the company sent to Britain; according to the tradition the missionaries lost heart on the journey and turned back to consult the pope, but Gregory urged them onward, and they continued to the kingdom of Kent. There the way had in part been prepared, for King Ethelbert had married Bertha, a Christian Frankish princess, who had brought a bishop with her and so maintained Christian worship at the royal court.

King Ethelbert received the missionaries and permitted them to settle and preach in his capital at Canterbury. The king was converted, and great numbers of his people followed him to baptism. Augustine was consecrated a bishop and fixed his see at Canterbury, founding there a monastery dedicated to the Apostles Peter and Paul. He labored to organize the young church, consecrating further bishops for the English, and reposed in the early seventh century, having arranged for the consecration of his successor.

Timeline 5 moments Read Hide

c. 595–596 Sent by Gregory the Great Augustine, prior of the monastery of Saint Andrew in Rome, is chosen to lead the mission to the Anglo-Saxons.
597 Landing in Kent Augustine and his companions land in Kent and are received by King Ethelbert, whose conversion follows.
597 Archbishop of Canterbury Augustine is consecrated bishop and establishes his see at Canterbury, becoming its first archbishop.
604 Bishops for London and Rochester He consecrates Mellitus as bishop of London and Justus as bishop of Rochester.
c. 604 Repose Augustine reposes on May 26, having arranged for the consecration of his successor, Laurence.

Contributions & Legacy

1 contributions Read Hide

The Mission to the English

The mission was conceived and directed by Pope Gregory the Great, who took a personal interest in the evangelization of the Anglo-Saxons and remained in correspondence with Augustine, sending instruction and further laborers. Gregory reported that more than ten thousand Christians had been baptized, the tradition placing a great baptism at Christmas. The seed planted in Kent spread outward, and in 604 Augustine consecrated Mellitus as bishop for London and Justus as bishop for Rochester, extending the church's structure beyond Canterbury.

Augustine also sought to bring the existing British (Welsh) Christians into common order and under his oversight, but the meeting with their bishops did not succeed; the tradition relates that they declined to acknowledge his authority. This left the older British church and the new mission from Rome as distinct bodies, a division that would be addressed by later generations.

Notes

Pre-schism Western saint; not Augustine of Hippo.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints