Wilfrid, Saint

Wilfrid, Saint
or Wilfrid of York

born 634, Northumbria, Eng.
died April 24, 709/710, monastery of Oundle, Mercia

English monk and bishop who established close relations between the Anglo-Saxon church and the papacy.

As abbot of the monastery at Ripon, he introduced the Benedictine Rule to the kingdom. At the Synod of Whitby, he successfully advocated the adoption of Roman over Celtic traditions. As bishop of York, he built a monastery at Hexham and traveled twice to Rome to defend the see of York in jurisdictional controversies with the see of Canterbury (679, 704). A quarrel over the division of his diocese obliged Wilfrid to take refuge in Sussex, where he Christianized the people and founded a monastery at Selsey; he later served as bishop of Lichfield in Mercia. Following his second dispute with Canterbury, Wilfrid became bishop of Hexham and spent his last years there and at his monastery in Ripon.

* * *

▪ English saint
also called Wilfrid Of York
born 634, Northumbria, Eng.
died April 24, 709/710, monastery of Oundle, Mercia, Eng.; feast day October 12

      one of the greatest English saints, a monk and bishop who was outstanding in bringing about close relations between the Anglo-Saxon Church and the papacy. He devoted his life to establishing the observances of the Roman Church over those of the Celtic Church and fought a stormy series of controversies on discipline and precedent.

      In 648 Wilfrid entered the celebrated monastery of Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland. Later he went to Canterbury and then set out in 652 for Rome. Having spent three years in Lyon, Fr., he returned to Northumbria in 657/658. Soon he received a monastery at Ripon, Yorkshire, from King Oswiu's son, Alhfrith. He was ordained a priest in 663/664 by the Gaulish bishop Agilbert, for whom he acted as spokesman at the Synod of Whitby (664), successfully advocating the rejection of Celtic practices in favour of Roman. Alhfrith had him elected bishop of York, but Wilfrid refused to be consecrated by Celtic bishops and was therefore consecrated at Compiègne, Fr.

      Meanwhile, Oswiu appointed St. Chad as bishop of York instead, and Wilfrid on his return lived (666–669) at Ripon. He was restored in 669, when Archbishop St. Theodore of Canterbury deposed Chad, and he thereby became primate of Northumbria. He built a monastery at Hexham and introduced the Benedictine Rule to the kingdom. In 677 Theodore divided Wilfrid's diocese, and Wilfrid appealed to Rome (the first English ecclesiastic to do so), where he arrived in 679 after having helped convert the Frisians (winter of 677–678). Pope St. Agatho and a Roman synod (October 679) ordered his restoration but accepted the division of his diocese on condition that he, with a local council, appoint the new bishops.

      King Ecgfrith, Oswiu's successor, refused to obey the papal mandate, however, and apparently imprisoned Wilfrid, who finally took refuge in Sussex, Christianizing its people and founding a monastery at Selsey. In 685 he joined King Caedwalla of Wessex, who gave him a quarter of his conquests in the Isle of Wight. Aldfrith, Ecgfrith's successor, recalled him in 686/687. Although his deposition and its nullification following Agatho's injunctions were reissued by popes SS. Benedict II and Sergius I, Wilfrid still remained improperly restored. Demanding the fulfillment of his rights granted by Agatho, he spent 11 years in exile, acting as bishop in Mercia. A council was held in 702, but Wilfrid, refusing to promise unconditional acceptance of the Archbishop's rulings, went again to Rome, where his case was debated during 704. Though the Roman synod cleared Wilfrid of charges against him, it referred the question back to an English synod that met in Yorkshire in 705. Wilfrid, no longer insisting on York, was given his monasteries of Ripon and Hexham, becoming bishop of Hexham in 705 and retaining his monasteries in Mercia. He was buried at Ripon.

      Wilfrid spread the knowledge of the Benedictine Rule, brought religious treasures from the Continent, and helped improve the chanting of the liturgy. He was a great builder at York, Ripon, and Hexham. He was one of the first to conceive the idea of Anglo-Saxons evangelizing the Germanic peoples. St. Willibrord, the apostle of Friesland and patron saint of Holland, was his devoted pupil, and he also consecrated St. Swithberht. In ecclesiastical policies, he fought steadily against the setting aside of papal authority by a local church subjected to secular power; rare for his time and place, he upheld utter papal supremacy. A life of Wilfrid by his disciple Eddi was translated into English in 1927 by B. Colgrave.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wilfrid, Saint — • Biographical article on this abbot and bishop, who died in 709 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Saint Wilfrid — can refer to: * Wilfrid * Saint Wilfred the Younger …   Wikipedia

  • Wilfrid — (as used in expressions) Laurier Sir Wilfrid Wilfrid Saint Wilfrid of York * * * …   Universalium

  • Saint — 1347 80, Italian ascetic and mystic. died A.D. 731, pope 715 731. died A.D. 741, pope 731 741. died A.D. 352, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 337 352. died A.D. 683, Sicilian ecclesiastic: pope 682 683. died A.D. 855, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 847… …   Universalium

  • saint — saintless, adj. /saynt/, n. 1. any of certain persons of exceptional holiness of life, formally recognized as such by the Christian Church, esp. by canonization. 2. a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence. 3. a founder, sponsor, or… …   Universalium

  • Wilfrid — d York Wilfrid, ou saint Wilfrid, (né en 634 à Ripon, décédé le 24 avril 709 à Oundle) était un évêque anglais. Wilfrid naît à Ripon en Northumbrie. Son père est de petite noblesse. À 13 ans, il est placé à la maison du roi Oswiu, et… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saint Wilfred the Younger — Saint Wilfred (or Wilfrid) the Younger was a Bishop of York in England in the 8th century. Early life and education Saint Wilfrid was educated by Saint Hilda at Whitby Abbey and was, later, a favourite disciple of Saint John of Beverley.… …   Wikipedia

  • Wilfrid Morin — Né le 1er novembre 1900, il mourut le 30 mai 1941 dans un accident de voiture dans lequel prenaient aussi place: Léo pol Morin, Louis Francoeur, Fernand Leclerc et Louis Bourgoin, tous animateurs de programmes radiophoniques très prisés à… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Wilfrid Estève — Naissance 3 mars 1968 Carcassonne Nationalité France Profession Photographe, enseignant, producteur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saint-Lin (Quebec) — Saint Lin (Québec) Saint Lin Laurentides est une municipalité située dans la MRC de Montcalm dans la région de Lanaudière au Québec (Canada). Sir Wilfrid Laurier, le premier francophone à occuper le poste de premier ministre du Canada, y est né.… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”