Lebuinus (also known as ''Lebuin'', ''Lebwin'' or ''Liafwin ') is the Apostle of the

Frisians The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal regions of the Netherlands and northwestern Germany. They inhabit an area known as Frisia and are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, ...

and patron of

Deventer Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, bu ...

(born in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

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- ...

parents, date unknown; died at Deventer c. 775).

Life

Lebuinus was a monk in

Wilfrid Wilfrid ( – 709 or 710) was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Francia, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and ...

's monastery at

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

. Inspired by the example of

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant ...

Saint Willibrord Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary and saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands. He became the first bishop of Utrecht and died at Echternach, Luxembourg. Early life His fath ...

and other great English missionaries, he resolved to devote his life to the conversion of the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

. After his ordination, he proceeded in 754 to

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

, and was welcomed by

Saint Gregory Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregoria ...

, acting bishop of that place, who entrusted him with the mission of

Overijssel Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the ...

on the borders of

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

, and gave him a companion - Marchelm (or Marcellinus), a disciple of Saint Willibrord. Lebuinus preached the Gospel among the tribes of the district, and erected a little chapel at Wilp (see: Voorst) (''Wilpa'') on the west bank of the IJssel. His venerable personality and deep learning quickly won many to Christianity, even among the nobles, and it soon became necessary to build at Deventer on the east bank of the river a larger church. However, Lebuinus's great success aroused hostility among the pagans. Ascribing his conversions to witchcraft, they formed an alliance with the anti-Christian Saxons, burned the church at Deventer and dispersed the converts. After escaping with difficulty, Lebuinus determined to voice the claims of Christianity at the national assembly (''Allthing'') of the Saxons at Marklo near the Weser (Northwestern Germany).Howorth, H.H., "The Ethnology of Germany", ''Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland'', Volume 9, 1880, p. 434
/ref> The ''Vitae'' of Lebuinus describes in great details, his appearance before the assembly, where, it is claimed, he pointed out to the Saxons the inefficacy of their deities. It also describes how he warned them of impending destruction at the hands of a powerful king unless they converted to Christianity. With the intercession of the nobleman Buto, he persuaded them sufficiently of the power of his mission that they not only allowed him to escape with his life, but allowed him to preach unmolested in the territory allotted him. His life may have been a source of inspiration in the creation of the cultus on Saint Livinus of Ghent.

Death

On his return to Friesland, Lebuinus rebuilt the church at Deventer where he was later buried. The exact date of his death is unknown, however it is almost certain that it occurred before 776, because during that year, the Saxons attacked and burnt the church at Deventer and yet could not identify his remains inside of the church after three days. His body and a copy of the Gospels presumed to have been written by his hand were still in Deventer, in a church bearing his name, until 882 when it was again destroyed by the Normans. The relics of St. Livinus (whose feast also is on 12 November) are probably those of Lebuinus. Ludger, Saint Ludger rebuilt the church a few years later, and in doing so rediscovered the saint's remains beneath the site.

Veneration

* Lebuinus is commemorated by the Church on 12 November, mostly in the Netherlands. * The Lebuïnuskerk, Deventer was consecrated in his name.

References

;Attribution * *

Primary sources

*''Lives'' of St Lebuinus: **''Vita (Lebuini) antiqua'', earliest ''Life'' (9th or early 10th century) ***ed. ***tr.

**Hucbald of Saint-Amand, ''Vita Lebuini'' (between 918 and 930). ***ed. ; ed. ''Patrologia Latina'' 132, pp. 877–94; MGH Scriptores 2, pp. 360–4, in abbreviated form. ***tr. **15th-century ''Life'' ***ed. M. Coens, 'Vie de S. Lebuin', in: Analecta bollandiana, 34/35 (1915-1916) 319–330. *Radbod, ''Ecloga et Sermo'' (on Lebuinus), in Surius, VI, 839 *Altfrid, ''Vita Liutgeri'' in MGH Scriptores, II, 360 sqq.

External links