Honorius (died 30 September 653) was a member of the Gregorian mission to Christianize 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 ...

in 597 AD who later became Archbishop of Canterbury. During his archiepiscopate, he consecrated the first native English bishop of Rochester as well as helping the missionary efforts of Felix among the East Anglians. Honorius was the last to die among the Gregorian missionaries.

Early life

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

by birth, Honorius may have been one of those chosen by Pope

Gregory the Great 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 ...

for the Gregorian mission to England, although it seems more likely that he was a member of the second party of missionaries, sent in 601.Hindley ''Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons'' pp. 43–45Stenton ''Anglo-Saxon England'' p. 112–113 It is not known if his name was given to him at birth or if he chose it when he became archbishop.Sharpe "Naming of Bishop Ithamar" ''English Historical Review'' p. 3

Archbishop

In 627, Honorius was consecrated as archbishop by

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 ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

.Blair ''World of Bede'' pp. 96–97 Honorius wrote 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 ...

asking the pope to raise the see of York to an archbishopric, so that when one archbishop in England died, the other would be able to consecrate the deceased bishop's successor. The pope agreed, and sent a

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropol ...

for Paulinus, but by this time, Paulinus had already been forced to flee from Northumbria.Hunt "Honorius (St Honorius)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' When Paulinus, after the death of King

Edwin of Northumbria Edwin ( ang, Ēadwine; c. 586 – 12 October 632/633), also known as Eadwine or Æduinus, was the King of Deira and Bernicia – which later became known as Northumbria – from about 616 until his death. He converted to Christi ...

in October 633, fled Northumbria, he was received by Honorius and appointed to the bishopric of Rochester. The papal letter is dated to June 634, and implies that news of Edwin's death had not reached the pope. This evidence may mean that the traditional date of Edwin's death may need to be moved to October 634.Kirby ''Earliest English Kings'' p. 56 The papal letter may also mean that the traditional date of consecration for Honorius may need re-dating, as the long gap between 627, when he is said to have been consecrated, and 634, when he finally received a pallium, is much longer than usually found. It may be that Honorius was consecrated closer to 634. The papal letter to Honorius is given in the ''

Ecclesiastical History __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritua ...

'' of the medieval writer Bede.Wright ''Companion to Bede'' pp. 57–58 Honorius consolidated the work of converting the English by sending Felix, a Burgundian, to

Dunwich Dunwich is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB around north-east of London, south of Southwold and north of Leiston, on the North Sea coast. In the Anglo-Saxon period, Dunwich was ...

Brooks ''Early History of the Church of Canterbury'' pp. 65–67 after Felix came to the archbishop and made known his desire to go to East Anglia as a missionary. Honorius may have consecrated Felix as the first bishop of East AngliaWalsh ''New Dictionary of Saints'' p. 268 or Felix may have already been consecrated on the continent.Blair ''World of Bede'' p. 107 The dating of this episode is unclear, but it is probably close to 631.Kirby ''Earliest English Kings'' p. 66 It is possible that King

Sigeberht of East Anglia Sigeberht of East Anglia (also known as Saint Sigebert), (Old English: ''Sigebryht'') was a saint and a king of East Anglia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. He was the first English king ...

, who converted to Christianity while he was in exile on the continent, had already met Felix and was behind Felix's journey to Honorius. As well as his help to Felix, Honorius consecrated the first Anglo-Saxon bishop,

Ithamar In the Torah, Ithamar () was the fourth (and the youngest) son of Aaron the High Priest."Ithamar", '' Encyclopaedia Biblica'' Following the construction of the Tabernacle, he was responsible for recording an inventory to ensure that the constructed ...

of Rochester, and his successor was also a native of England. Honorius had few conflicts with the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

missionary efforts, and admired Aidan, one of the leading Irish clergy.Mayr-Harting ''Coming of Christianity'' p. 94

Death and legacy

Honorius died on 30 September 653,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 213 the last of the Gregorian missionaries. He was buried at the Church of St Augustine in Canterbury. He was later revered as a saint, with his feast day being 30 September. His relics were translated to a new tomb in 1091, and around that same time a hagiography of his life was written by Goscelin.Blair "Handlist of Anglo-Saxon Saints" ''Local Saints and Local Churches'' p. 539 In the 1120s his relics were still being venerated at St Augustine's.Hayward "Absent Father" ''Journal of Medieval History'' p. 217 footnote 72

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links