Willibrord, Saint

Willibrord, Saint

▪ Anglo-Saxon missionary
also called  Willibrord of Utrecht , Willibrord also spelled  Wilbrord 
born 658?, Northumbria, probably near York, Eng.
died Nov. 7, 739, Echternach, Austrasia; feast day November 7

      Anglo-Saxon bishop and missionary, apostle of Friesland, and patron saint of Holland.

      The son of the hermit St. Wilgis, Willibrord was sent by him to the Benedictine monastery of Ripon, Eng., under Abbot St. Wilfrid of York. After Wilfrid was deposed and exiled in 677/678, Willibrord also went into exile, spending 12 years in Ireland, where he became a disciple of St. Egbert. He was ordained priest in 688.

      In 690 Egbert sent Willibrord with 11 companions to undertake the Christianization of the Frisians, whose districts had recently been conquered (689) by Pippin II of Herstal. Willibrord began the policy of mutual cooperation between the English missions and the Carolingian dynasty. He went to Rome in 690 for a commission from Pope St. Sergius I and was later sent again by Pippin for his consecration (November 21, 695) as archbishop of the Frisians, with a see to be established at Utrecht, Netherlands. On that occasion, Sergius renamed him Clement. Willibrord's unusual respect for Roman authority had established a precedent that greatly increased papal influence in the affairs of the Frankish church.

      In 698 Willibrord established his second missionary base, the important monastery of Echternach. Having extended his apostolate into Friesland, he attempted to evangelize Denmark, where he instructed and baptized 30 boys; returning with them, he made dramatic stops on the Frisian islands of Heligoland and Walcheren. In 714 he baptized Pippin III the Short, heir to the Merovingian kingdom. Upon the death of Pippin II, the pagan Frisian king Radbod launched a highly destructive campaign against the Christians and banished Willibrord.

      After Radbod's death in 719, Willibrord, with the aid of the Frankish king Charles Martel, regained his apostolate. From 719 to 722, he was assisted in his missionary work by the man who carried on his work after 739, Wynfrith (St. Boniface (Boniface, Saint)), apostle of Germany. While training a native clergy, he established in the Frankish kingdoms an English cultural influence that was to dominate Charlemagne's court through the extensive labours of later missionaries. He began in the West the appointment of chōrepiscopoi (“country bishops”), or suffragan bishops (i.e., bishops of sees under an archbishop, or metropolitan), and he introduced into the Franks' dominions the practice of dating by the Christian Era.

      Willibrord was buried in the abbey church of Echternach. The “Calendar of St. Willibrord” (a calendar of saints, with some lines attributed to Willibrord) was printed in facsimile in 1918.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • WILLIBRORD (saint) — WILLIBRORD ou WILLIBROD saint (658 739) Alors que Willibrord n’était qu’un enfant, son père, le noble Wilgis, se retira dans un ermitage et le plaça à l’abbaye de Ripon dans le nord de l’Angleterre (664). En 678, Willibrord partit compléter sa… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Willibrord, Saint — • Article on the Benedictine missionary and bishop, who died in 739 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Saint Willibrord — Willibrord d Utrecht Saint Willibrord premier évêque d Utrecht, apôtre des Pays Bas, patron du Grand Duché de Luxembourg, est né vers 657 dans le Northumberland. Il est mort en 739 et il repose dans l abbaye d Echternach dont il avait été le… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Willibrord — d Utrecht Saint Willibrord premier évêque d Utrecht, apôtre des Pays Bas, patron du Grand Duché de Luxembourg, est né vers 657 dans le Northumberland. Il est mort en 739 et il repose dans l abbaye d Echternach dont il avait été le fondateur. Fête …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Willibrord de Utrecht — Willibrord Willibrord de Utrecht representado como obispo en el Evangeliario que lleva su nombre. Obispo de Utrecht …   Wikipedia Español

  • Saint Suitbert — Saint Suitbert, Suidbert, Suitbertus, or Swithbert, can refer to two saints:uitbert of KaiserwerdtApostle of the Frisians, born in England in the seventh century. He studied in Ireland, at Rathmelsigi, Connacht, along with St. Egbert. The latter …   Wikipedia

  • Willibrord — ou Willibrod (saint) (658 739), prélat anglo saxon. Archevêque d Utrecht (v. 695), il évangélisa la Frise, les Flandres, et fonda l abbaye d Echternach (Luxembourg), où il mourut …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Saint Ludger —     St. Ludger     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► St. Ludger     (Lüdiger or Liudger)     Missionary among the Frisians and Saxons, first Bishop of Munster in Westphalia, b. at Zuilen near Utrecht about 744; d. 26 March, 809. Feast, 26 March.… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Willibrord d'Utrecht — Willibord (Paris, BN Lat. 10510) Saint Willibrord, premier évêque d Utrecht, apôtre des Pays Bas et patron du Grand Duché de Luxembourg, est né vers 657 dans le royaume de Northumbrie, est mort en 739 et repose à l abbaye d Echternach qu il avait …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Willibrord — Infobox Saint name=Willibrord birth date=c. 658 death date=death date|739|11|7|mf=y feast day=November 7 venerated in=Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion imagesize=250px caption= Statue of St. Willibrord at Echternach. birth… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

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