Leofdag of Ribe was the first
Bishop of Ribe in Denmark, later regarded as a local saint but never canonized. Ribe was established as a diocese for Leofdag in 948 under the supervision of the Archbishop of Hamburg, who was authorized by the Roman Curia to proselytize the Danes.
Biography
Leofdag was consecrated by Archbishop
Adaldag of Hamburg, probably at the
Synod of Ingelheim The Universal Synod of Ingelheim began on June 7, 948 in the then church of Saint Remigius in Ingelheim.
Being summoned by Pope Agapetus II its primary goal was to resolve a long running Schism concerning the archiepiscopal see of Reims. The synod ...
(Germany), which the Jutlandic bishops attended. Leofdag was martyred that same year, when a
housecarl
A housecarl ( on, húskarl; oe, huscarl) was a non- servile manservant or household bodyguard in medieval Northern Europe.
The institution originated amongst the Norsemen of Scandinavia, and was brought to Anglo-Saxon England by the Danish con ...
skewered him with a spear, as he forded the river at Ribe.
Although never canonized, Leofdag is revered as a local saint and martyr. His remains would eventually end up in
Ribe Cathedral
Ribe Cathedral or Our Lady Maria Cathedral ( da, Ribe Domkirke or ''Vor Frue Maria Domkirke'') is located in the ancient city of Ribe, on the west coast of southern Jutland, Denmark. It was founded in the Viking Era as the first Christian church in ...
. Until the death of his third known successor Vale (1044–59) the bishops of Ribe, Schleswig, and Aarhus wandered about Jutland on missionary tours.
See also
References
External links
*http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/16070b.htm
Danish Roman Catholic saints
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
Medieval Danish saints
10th-century bishops in Denmark
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