Eosterwine (or Easterwine) (650 – 7 March 686) was the second

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a 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-Saxons happened wit ...

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...

of Wearmouth in

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 ...

(

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 ...

). Descended from the noblest stock of

, as a young man he led the life of a soldier in the army of King Egfrid, the son of

Oswy Oswiu, also known as Oswy or Oswig ( ang, Ōswīg; c. 612 – 15 February 670), was King of Bernicia from 642 and of Northumbria from 654 until his death. He is notable for his role at the Synod of Whitby in 664, which ultimately brought the chur ...

. When Eosterwine was twenty-four years old, he gave up the soldier's profession to become a monk in the monastery of Wearmouth, which was ruled by his cousin,

Benedict Biscop Benedict Biscop (pronounced "bishop"; – 690), also known as Biscop Baducing, was an Anglo-Saxon abbot and founder of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory (where he also founded the famous library) and was considered a saint after his death. Lif ...

. Here he followed the regular observance, taking his full share in the menial tasks. He was ordained priest in the year 679, and in 682 St. Benedict appointed him abbot of Wearmouth as

coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

to himself."Eosterwine", '' The Oxford Dictionary of Saints''
5th rev ed. (David Farmer, ed.) OUP, 2011, As superior "when he was compelled to reprove a fault, it was done with such tender sadness that the culprit felt himself incapable of any new offence which should bring a cloud over the benign brightness of that beloved face". In the year 686 a deadly pestilence overspread the country; it attacked the community at Wearmouth and the youthful abbot was one of its victims. He bade farewell to all, the day before he died on March 7, 686 at the age of 36 while the community was at Matins. He was subsequently revered as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

. Saint Benedict was absent in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

at the time of his death and Sigfried was chosen by the monks as his successor. Eosterwine is not known to have been the author of any works. His feast day is 7 March.Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome
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References

External links

* {{Authority control 650 births 686 deaths Abbots of Wearmouth Northumbrian saints Burials at Glastonbury Abbey Burials at Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey 7th-century Christian saints