Saint David of Munktorp (''David av Munktorp'') was an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

Cluniac The Cluniac Reforms (also called the Benedictine Reform) were a series of changes within medieval monasticism of the Western Church focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor. The movement began wit ...

monk of the 11th century. David was sent as a missionary to Sweden by

Saint Sigfrid Saint Sigfrid of Sweden (, , , ) was a missionary-bishop in Scandinavia during the first half of the 11th century. Originally from England, Saint Sigfrid is credited in late medieval king-lists and hagiography with performing the baptism of the ...

Växjö Växjö ( ) is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden. It had 70,489 inhabitants (2019) out of a municipal population of 95,995 (2021). It is the administrative, cultural, and industrial centre of Kronoberg County ...

along with

Saint Botvid Saint Botvid was a Christian missionary in Sweden during the 11th and early 12th centuries. Biography Botvid, who was born in Södermanland, Sweden, went on a trade trip to England where he came into contact with Christianity and was converted to ...

and

Saint Eskil Saint Eskil (11th century) was an Anglo-Saxon monk particularly venerated during the end of the 11th century in the province of Södermanland, Sweden. He was the founder of the first diocese of the lands surrounding Lake Mälaren, today the Dioces ...

. The missionaries David, Eskil, and Botvid preached chiefly in

Södermanland Södermanland ( or ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latin form ''Sudermannia'' or ''Sudermania'', is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanla ...

and

Västmanland Västmanland ( or ), is a historical Swedish province, or ''landskap'', in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland. Västmanland means "(The) Land of the Western Men", where the "western men" (''västerm ...

, in the area of

Lake Mälaren A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

. David is associated with

Munktorp Munktorp is a urban areas of Sweden, locality situated in Köping Municipality, Västmanland County, Sweden with 455 inhabitants in 2010. Munktorp is the site of the historic Munktorp Church (''Munktorps kyrka''). The church is associated with Da ...

, a village situated in

Köping ''Köping'' was a Swedish denomination for a market town since the Middle Ages, derived from the Old Norse word ''kaupang''. The designation was officially abolished with the municipal reform of 1971, when Sweden was subdivided into the Munici ...

Municipality, in Västmanland County. He reportedly originated Munktorp Church (''Munktorps kyrka''). The original church structures are known as David's Church (''Davidskyrkan''). Munktorp Church is in

Västerås Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 154,049. Västerås ...

diocese, northeast of

Köping, Sweden Köping is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Köping Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden. It had 17,743 inhabitants in 2010. It is known for the television series ''I en annan del av Köping''. Etymology ''Köping'' mean ...

. David became known as the Västmanland apostle (''Västmanlands apostel''). David sought to become a martyr but died peacefully in 1082 of old age. After his death, his remains were buried in Munktorps kyrka. According to the Västerås breviary, David came to evangelize in Sweden in order to become a martyr. It further says that David "wandered among villages and towns, preaching the word of God and baptizing the converted, kept nightly prayer vigils, committing to God with tears and sighs his plentiful offspring, which he had thus born in the Lord".''David'' (Riksarkivet)
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{{Authority control 11th-century Swedish people Anglo-Saxon saints Medieval Swedish saints Viking Age clergy 11th-century Christian saints 1082 deaths