Romanus (died before 627) was the second bishop of Rochester and presumably was a member of the Gregorian mission sent to

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Christianize Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...

the

Anglo-Saxons 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- ...

from their native

Anglo-Saxon paganism Anglo-Saxon paganism, sometimes termed Anglo-Saxon heathenism, Anglo-Saxon pre-Christian religion, or Anglo-Saxon traditional religion, refers to the religious beliefs and practices followed by the Anglo-Saxons between the 5th and 8th centurie ...

. Romanus was consecrated bishop around 624 and died before 627 by drowning. Little is known of his life beyond these facts.

Career

Presumably Romanus came to England with Augustine of Canterbury's mission to Kent. He would have arrived either in 597 with the first group of missionaries, or in 601 with the second group.Mayr-Harting ''Coming of Christianity'' pp. 61–62 He was consecrated as

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

by his predecessor

Justus Justus (died on 10 November between 627 and 631) was the fourth Archbishop of Canterbury. He was sent from Italy to England by Pope Gregory the Great, on a mission to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native paganism, probably arrivin ...

in 624, after Justus became Archbishop of Canterbury. He was the second bishop at Rochester. Romanus died before 627,Blair ''World of Bede'' pp. 96–97 probably about 625.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 221 He drowned in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

off Italy while on a mission to Rome for Justus. Presumably this happened before Justus' death in 627.Beazley "Romanus" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' He was certainly dead by 633, when

Paulinus of York Paulinus (died 10 October 644) was a Roman missionary and the first Bishop of York. A member of the Gregorian mission sent in 601 by Pope Gregory I to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, Paulinus arrived in ...

became bishop at Rochester after fleeing

Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

. Nothing else is known of Romanus' life beyond these facts. The medieval writer Bede is the main source of information, as Romanus is mentioned twice in the '' Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum''; the first time in connection with his consecration, where Bede says that Justus "consecrated Romanus as Bishop of Rochester in his place".Bede ''History of the English Church and People'' p. 112 The second mention concerns Romanus' death after Paulinus had left Northumbria. Bede says that " this time, the church of Rochester was in great need of a pastor, since Romanus its bishop who had been sent by Archbishop Justus to Pope

Honorius I Pope Honorius I (died 12 October 638) was the bishop of Rome from 27 October 625 to his death. He was active in spreading Christianity among Anglo-Saxons and attempted to convince the Celts to calculate Easter in the Roman fashion. He is chiefl ...

as his representative, had been drowned at sea off Italy."Bede ''History of the English Church and People'' p. 139 Romanus is further mentioned in both the Winchester

Manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...

(Version A) and the Peterborough Manuscript (Version E) of the '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'',Swanton (trans.) ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' p. 24 but the reference is not likely to be contemporary and probably draws on Bede for its information.Swanton "Introduction" ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' pp. xviii, xxi, and xxvi

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Romanus 7th-century English bishops Bishops of Rochester Gregorian mission Deaths by drowning

Career

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