Richard the Pilgrim or Richard of Wessex, herself quoting (died 720) was the father of the West Saxon saints

Willibald Willibald (; c. 700 – c.787) was an 8th-century bishop of Eichstätt in Bavaria. Information about his life is largely drawn from the Hodoeporicon (itinerary) of Willibald, a text written in the 8th century by Huneberc, an Anglo-Saxon nun fro ...

, Winnibald, and Walpurga. He led his family on a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

but died en route in

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

, where he was buried in the church of Saint Fridianus.David Farmer (ed.), "Richard (d. 720)", in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints'', 5th rev. ed. (Oxford University Press, 2011), p. 378. The name of the saints' father is not given in the 8th-century ''Hodoeporicon'' (Itinerary) of

Hygeburg Hygeburg (''floruit'' 760–780), also Hugeburc, Hugeberc, Huneberc or Huneburc, was an Anglo-Saxon nun and hagiographer at the Alemannian monastery of Heidenheim. She is "the first known Englishwoman to have written a full-length literary work" ...

, the earliest source, nor is Richard listed in the earliest

martyrologies A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs and other saints and beatification, beati arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were ...

. The name Richard and his identity as a "king of the English" are inventions of the 10th century from the monastery of Heidenheim.Paul Burns, ed., ''Butler's Lives of the Saints: February'' (The Liturgical Press, 1998), pp. 68–69. His

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

were being publicly displayed in both Lucca and

Eichstätt Eichstätt () is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district of Eichstätt. It is located on the Altmühl river and has a population of around 13,000. Eichstätt is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese ...

in the 12th century. His

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

is celebrated on February 7. There is one church in England dedicated to him,

St Ricarius Church, Aberford The Church of St Ricarius, Aberford, West Yorkshire, England, is an active Anglican parish church in the archdeaconry of York and the Diocese of Leeds. It is commonly stated that the dedication refers to the French saint St Richarius or Riqu ...

Legend

The reigning king of the West Saxons in 720 was King

Ine INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Estadística (disambiguation) * Instituto Nacional de Estatística (disambiguation) * Instituto Nacional Elec ...

, who ascended the throne in 688 and died in or possibly after 726.

Bede Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom o ...

states that he abdicated after 37 years, i.e. 725–26. The ''

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alf ...

'' refers to him abdicating in and around 726–28, then traveling to Rome and dying there. Richard was from

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

now part of England, and his real name is uncertain. He appears to have been an Anglo-Saxon chieftain or a

Brittonic Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to: *Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain *Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic *Britons (Celtic people) The Br ...

under-king in Wessex, probably of part of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. His wife was

Wuna of Wessex Wuna of Wessex (also known as Wunna, Winna, Wina, and Bonna) was a 7th and 8th-century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman and Christian saint. The name Wuna means "The Joyful One". Her actual name is unknown, but she has been called Wuna since the Middle A ...

, and they were the parents of Willibald, Bishop of

Winibald Winibald (Winebald, Winnibald, Wunebald, Wynbald) (c. 702 - 18 December 761) was abbot of the Benedictine double monastery of Heidenheim am Hahnenkamm. Traditionally, he is called the brother of Willibald and Walpurga. Life Winibald's father ...

, Abbot of Heidenheim, and Walpurga, Abbess of Heidenheim. He obtained by his prayers the recovery of his three-year-old son

, whom he laid at the foot of a great crucifix erected in a public place in Wessex when the child's life was despaired of in a grievous sickness. In 720, he entrusted his eleven-year-old daughter Walpurga to the abbess of

Wimborne Wimborne Minster (often referred to as Wimborne, ) is a market town in Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. It lies at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, north of Poole ...

in Dorset,Casanova, Gertrude. "St. Walburga." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 14 May 2018 renounced his estates, and set sail with his two sons from Hamblehaven near

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. They landed in France and temporarily stayed in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

. From there, they set off on the pilgrimage route to Italy, where they prayed at shrines situated along the way. He died unexpectedly after developing a fever in

, Tuscany, where he was buried in the Church of San Frediano, founded by the Irish monk

Fridianus Fridianus ( it, San Frediano, also Frigidanus, Frigidian, Frigianu), was an Irish prince and hermit, fl. 6th century. Tradition names him as a son of King Ultach of Ulster. He later migrated to Italy, where he was appointed as Bishop of Lucca. Th ...

. Miracles were reported to have occurred at his tomb and a cult venerating him developed. The people of Lucca gave him the name "Richard" and embellished their accounts of his life, describing him as an English prince. Another apocryphal story described him as the Duke of Swabia in Germany. Eichstätt Mittelschrein

His son, Willibald, continued the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Richard's niece, a nun called

(Huneburc of Heidenheim), wrote an account of the pilgrimage, entitled "Hodoeporicon"; historians date the text between 761 and 786.

Veneration

Some of Richard's relics were transported to Eichstätt, where Willibald eventually became Bishop. Richard's feast day is 7 February. Richard is depicted with the Blessed Mother and his three children at

Eichstätt Cathedral Eichstätt Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Willibald and St. Salvator is an 11th-Century Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Eichstätt, Bavaria, in Southern Germany. History The first Rom ...

. In religious artworks, Richard is portrayed as a royal pilgrim in an ermine-lined cloak with two sons, one a bishop and one an abbot. His crown appears to lie on a book (Roeder). Richard is particularly venerated at Heidenheim and Lucca (Roeder).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richard the Pilgrim West Saxon saints Pilgrimage accounts 8th-century Christian saints Christian royal saints Roman Catholic royal saints

Legend

Veneration

See also

References