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Edmund of Abingdon

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Saint

Edmund
Archbishop of Canterbury
Image of Edmund from theNuremberg Chronicle(1493)
Appointed1233
Term ended1240
PredecessorJohn Blund
SuccessorBoniface of Savoy
Orders
Consecration2 April 1234
Personal details
Bornperhaps 20 Novemberc.1174
St Edmund's Lane,Abingdon,Berkshire (nowOxfordshire), England
Died(1240-11-16)16 November 1240
Soisy-Bouy,Seine-et-Marne, France
BuriedPontigny Abbey,Burgundy, France
Coat of armsEdmund's coat of arms
Sainthood
Feast day16 November
Venerated inCatholic Church
Anglican Communion
Title as SaintArchbishop
Canonized16 December 1246
byPope Innocent IV
Attributesarchbishop making a vow before a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary; embracing the Child Jesus; placing a ring on the finger of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary; receiving a lamb from the Blessed Virgin Mary; with Saint Richard of Chichester; with Saint Thomas of Canterbury
PatronageAbingdon, Oxfordshire;Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth;St Edmund's College, Cambridge;St Edmund Hall, Oxford;St Edmund’s College, Ware.
ShrinesPontigny Abbey,Pontigny,Yonne, France

Edmund of Abingdon(also known asEdmund Rich,St Edmund of Canterbury,Edmund of Pontigny,French:St Edme;c. 1174 – 1240) was anEnglish Catholicprelate who served asArchbishop of Canterbury.He became a respected lecturer inmathematics,dialecticsand theology at the Universities ofParisandOxford,promoting the study ofAristotle.

Having already an unsought reputation as an ascetic, he was ordained a priest, took a doctorate in divinity and soon became known not only for his lectures on theology but as a popular preacher, spending long years travelling withinEngland,and engaging in 1227 preaching theSixth Crusade.

Obliged to accept an appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury byPope Gregory IX,he combined a gentle personal temperament with a strong public stature and severity towards KingHenry IIIin defence ofMagna Cartaand in general of good civil and Church government and justice. He also worked for strict observance in monastic life and negotiated peace withLlywelyn the Great.

His policies earned him hostility and jealousy from the king, and opposition from several monasteries and from the clergy ofCanterbury Cathedral.He died inFranceat the beginning of a journey toRomein 1240. He wascanonisedin 1246.

Life[edit]

Early life and career[edit]

Edmund was born circa 1174, possibly on 20 November (the feast of StEdmund the Martyr), inAbingdonin Berkshire (nowOxfordshire), 7 miles south ofOxford,England. Edmund had two sisters and at least one brother.[1]

"Rich" was an epithet sometimes given to his wealthy merchant father, Reynold.[2]It was never applied to Edmund or his siblings in their lifetimes. His father retired, with his wife's consent, to the monastery atEynsham Abbey,leaving in her hands the education of their family. Her name was Mabel; she was adevoutwoman who lived anasceticlife and encouraged her children to do the same. Both her daughterstook the veil.[3]

Edmund may have been educated at themonastic schoolinAbingdon.He developed a taste for religious learning, saw visions while still at school, and at the age of twelve took a vow of perpetualchastityin theVirgin's churchat Oxford.[3]His early studies were in England, but he completed his higher learning in France at theUniversity of Paris.About 1195, in company with his brother Richard, he was sent to the schools of Paris. He studied at theuniversities of Oxfordand Paris and became a teacher about 1200, or a little earlier. For six years he lectured onmathematicsanddialectics,apparently dividing his time between Oxford and Paris, and helped introduce the study ofAristotle.[3]

Edmund became one of Oxford's first lecturers with a Master of Arts, but was not Oxford's first Doctor of Divinity.[4]Long hours at night spent in prayer had the result that he often "nodded off" during his lectures. There is a long-established tradition that he utilised his lecture-fees to build the Lady Chapel ofSt Peter's in the Eastat Oxford.[5]The site where he lived and taught was formed into a mediaevalacademic hallin his name and later incorporated as the college ofSt Edmund Hall.[6]

His mother's influence then led to his taking up the study oftheology. Though for some time Edmund resisted the change, he finally entered upon his new career between 1205 and 1210. He spent a year in retirement with theAugustiniancanons ofMerton Priory,[3]received ordination, took a doctorate in divinity and soon became known as a lecturer on theology and as an extemporaneous preacher. In this capacity he gained some reputation for eloquence. He spent the fees which he received in charity,[7]and refused to spend upon himself the revenues which he derived from severalbenefices.He often retired for solitude toReading Abbey,and it is possible that he would have become amonkif that profession had afforded more scope for his gifts as a preacher and expositor.[3]

Some time between 1219 and 1222 he was appointed vicar of the parish ofCalnein Wiltshire, and treasurer ofSalisbury Cathedral.[8]He held this position for eleven years, during which time he also engaged in preaching. In 1227 he preached thesixth crusadethrough a large part of England.[1]He formed a friendship withEla, countess of Salisbury,and her husband,William Longespée,and was noted for his works of charity and the austerity of his life.[3]

Archbishop of Canterbury[edit]

Statue of St. Edmund on thealtarinSt. John the Evangelist Church(Logan, Ohio)
Coat of arms of Saint Edmund of Abingdon:Or, across patoncegules between fourCornish choughsproper(now used bySt Edmund Hall, Oxford)

In 1233 came the news of Edmund's appointment, byPope Gregory IX,to the Archbishopric of Canterbury. The chapter had already made three selections which the pope had declined to confirm. Edmund's name had been proposed as a compromise by Gregory, perhaps on account of his work for the crusade. He was consecrated on 2 April 1234.[9]

Before his consecration Edmund became known for supporting ecclesiastical independence from Rome, maintenance of theMagna Cartaand the exclusion of foreigners from civil and ecclesiastical office. Reluctant to accept appointment as archbishop, Edmund was persuaded when it was pointed out that if he refused, the Pope might very well appoint a foreign ecclesiastic.[5]He chose as his chancellorRichard of Wich,known to later ages as St Richard of Chichester.[10] In the name of his fellow bishops Edmund admonishedHenry III of EnglandatWestminster,on 2 February 1234, to heed the example of his father,John of England.A week after his consecration he again appeared before the king with the barons and bishops, this time threatening Henry with excommunication if he refused to dismiss his councillors, many of them foreign,[11]and particularlyPeter des Roches,Bishop of Winchester.Henry yielded, and the favourites were dismissed,Hubert de Burgh(whom they had imprisoned) was released and reconciled to the king and soon the archbishop was sent toWalesto negotiate peace withLlywelyn the Great.Edmund's success, however, turned the king against him.[5]

Edmund was valued by the local people for his teaching, preaching, study, and his prayer; but his uncompromising stand in favour of good discipline in both civil and ecclesial government, of strict observance in monastic life, and of justice in high quarters brought him into conflict with Henry III, with several monasteries, and with the priests of Canterbury cathedral.[12]He claimed and exercised metropolitan rights of visitation, this was often challenged and he had to resort to litigation to maintain his authority, not the least with his own monastic chapter at Canterbury.[13]

Bronze statue of Edmund atSt Edmund Hall, Oxford

In 1236, with the object of emancipating himself from Edmund's control, the king asked the pope to send him alegate.On the arrival ofCardinal Odoin 1237 the archbishop found himself thwarted and insulted at every point. The politically significant marriage betweenSimon de Montfortand Henry's sisterEleanor,which Edmund had pronounced invalid, was ratified at Rome upon appeal. The king and legate upheld the monks of Canterbury in their opposition to Edmund's authority. Edmund protested to the king, andexcommunicatedin general terms all who had infringed the liberties of Canterbury. These measures had no impact, and the pope could not be moved to reverse the legate's decisions. Edmund complained that the discipline of the national church was ruined by this conflict of powers, and began to consider retirement.[3]

Journey to Rome[edit]

Notwithstanding the gentleness of his disposition, Edmund firmly defended the rights of Church and State against the exactions and usurpations of Henry III. In December 1237 Edmund set out for Rome to plead his cause in person.[1]From this futile mission he returned to England in August 1238 where his efforts to foster reform were frustrated. Edmund submitted to the papal demands and, early in 1240 paid to the pope's agents one fifth of his revenue, which had been levied for the pope's war againstEmperor Frederick II.Other English prelates followed his example.[3]

The papacy then ordered that 300 English benefices should be assigned to Romans. In 1240 Edmund set out for Rome. At theCistercianPontigny Abbeyin France he became sick, began travelling back to England, but died only 50 miles further north, on 16 November 1240,[9]at the house ofAugustinian CanonsatSoisy-Bouyand was taken back to Pontigny.[14]

Veneration[edit]

Less than a year after Edmund's death, miracles were alleged to be wrought at his grave. Despite Henry's opposition,[11]he wascanonisedonly six years after his death, in December 1246. His feast day is 16 November.[15]A few years later, the first chapel dedicated to him,St Edmund's Chapel,was consecrated inDoverby his friendRichard of Chichester,making it the only chapel dedicated to one English saint by another; this small building still stands.[16]

At Salisbury, acollegiate churchfounded in 1269 byBishop de la Wylewas dedicated to Edmund; rebuilt in 1407, the church is nowSalisbury Arts Centre.[17]An altar inthe cathedralis also dedicated to him.[13]

Today he is remembered in the name ofSt Edmund Hall, OxfordandSt Edmund's College, Cambridge.His name is given also toSt Edmund's College, Ware;St Edmund's School, Canterbury;St Edmund's School, Hindhead;St Edmund's Catholic School, Portsmouth;St Edmund of Abingdonpastoral areaof theRoman Catholic Diocese of Clifton;[18]St Edmund's Roman Catholic Primary School, Abingdon, Oxfordshire and St Edmund Preparatory High School, Brooklyn, NY.[citation needed]

Edmund Rich of Abingdon isrememberedin theChurch of Englandwith acommemorationon16 November.[19]

Relics[edit]

Edmund's body was never translated to Canterbury, because the Benedictine community there resented what they regarded as Edmund's attacks on their independence.[13]After his death he was taken back toPontigny Abbey,where his main relics are now found in a baroque reliquary tomb dating to the 17th century.[20]

An arm is enshrined in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Assumption at St. Edmund's Retreat onEnders Islandoff the coast of Mystic, Connecticut. The retreat is operated by the Society of the Fathers and Brothers of St. Edmund.[21]

In 1853, the fibula of Edmund's left leg was presented to St Edmund's College,Ware,[22]by Cardinal Wiseman. Many local cures of serious illnesses were attributed to the intercession of St Edmund; one of the earliest of these was of a student who nearly died after a fall in 1871. His complete healing led to the accomplishment of a vow to extend the beautiful Pugin chapel with a side chapel to honour the saint.[23]

The Islamic silkchasuble,with the main fabric probably made inAl-Andalus,that Edmund had with him at his death remains in a local church, with a stole andmaniple.[24]

Character[edit]

Edmund's life was one of self-sacrifice and devotion to others. From boyhood he practisedasceticism;such as fasting on Saturdays on bread and water, and wearing ahair shirt.After snatching a few hours' sleep, most of the night he spent in prayer and meditation.[1]

Works[edit]

Besides his "Constitutions," issued in 1236 (printed inW. Lynwood'sConstitutiones Angliae,Oxford, 1679), Edmund wrote a work in the genre of theSpeculum literatureentitledSpeculum ecclesiae(London, 1521; Eng. transl., 1527; reprinted inM. de la Bigne'sBibliotheca veterum patrum,v., Paris, 1609),[25]which was translated intoAnglo-Normanaround the second half of the thirteenth century asMirour de Seinte Eglyse('a mirror of the holy Church'), a treatise about theChristian faithaimed at religious practitioners. (The French text was then revised in a version labelled by its editor as a 'layversion', which is attested principally in the manuscript London, British Library, MS Arundel 288).[26]

Religious Congregation of the Society of St Edmund[edit]

Main article:Society of Saint Edmund

Edmund's life inspired the formation of theSociety of Saint EdmundatPontigny,France, in 1843 byJean Baptiste MuardandPierre Boyer.[27]The Society intended to keep Edmund's memory and life alive by conducting parish missions in the archdiocese of Sens, so as to revitalize the faith of the people who had become alienated from the Church. Members of the Society, based in Pontigny, fled to the United States in 1889 after widespreadanticlericalismin France. The Society of Saint Edmund settled in Winooski Park, Vermont and in 1904 establishedSaint Michael's Collegewhere the deeds and values of Edmund's life continue through the college mission.[28]Today members of the Society of Saint Edmund devote themselves to parochial work in theDiocese of Burlington,Vermont, ministry to the African American community through the Edmundite Missions inSelma, Alabama,to higher education at Saint Michael's College, and retreat ministry at Saint Edmund's Retreat (Enders Island) in Connecticut as well asSaint Anne's Shrinein Vermont.[29]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^abcd"CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Edmund Rich".www.newadvent.org.
  2. ^"CatholicSaints.Info » Blog Archive » Book of Saints – Edmund of Canterbury".
  3. ^abcdefghOne or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Davis, Henry William Carless(1911). "Edmund, Saint".InChisholm, Hugh(ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 947.
  4. ^J.I. Catto (ed) 'The early Oxford Schools' in Aston (gen ed), The History of the University of Oxford (Oxford 1984) Vol 1, pp. 24, 25
  5. ^abc"Dover's Chapel of St Edmund of Abingdon".www.stedmundschapel.co.uk.
  6. ^"History of the Hall".St Edmund Hall.
  7. ^"CatholicSaints.Info » Blog Archive » Butler's Lives of the Saints – Saint Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, Confessor".
  8. ^Fines, John (1970).St. Edmund of Abingdon.New York: Barnes & Noble Books.ISBN1566197163.
  9. ^abFryde, et al.Handbook of British Chronologyp. 233
  10. ^"Richard, St".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 23 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 293.
  11. ^abDavis 1911.
  12. ^"St Edmund, Patron of our Parish", Roman Catholic Parish of St. Edmund of Abingdon, MillwallArchived18 August 2013 at theWayback Machine
  13. ^abc"Hayward, John." St Edmund of Abingdon ", Parish Church of St. Wilfrid, Bognor".
  14. ^"Saint Edmund | Saint Edmund's Catholic Church. Calne".Retrieved25 April2022.
  15. ^WalshA New Dictionary of Saintsp. 169
  16. ^Historic England."St Edmund's Chapel (1070322)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved31 August2020.
  17. ^Historic England."Former Church of St Edmund (1355852)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved31 August2020.
  18. ^"Parishes".Clifton Diocese.Retrieved9 February2024.
  19. ^"The Calendar".The Church of England.Retrieved8 April2021.
  20. ^"dg6ycj.jpg".TinyPic.Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved11 February2023.
  21. ^"Saint's severed arm a unique treasure at Conn. site", (Associated Press),Hutch News,Hutchinson, Kansas, 24 May 2013
  22. ^"Home".St Edmund's College & Prep School.Retrieved11 February2023.
  23. ^Griffiths, Thomas."St Edmund's College Chapel"(PDF).St Edmund's College & Prep School.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 March 2016.Retrieved11 February2023.
  24. ^The Art of medieval Spain, A.D. 500–1200,an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), #57
  25. ^Cf. Alan D. Wilshere (ed.),Miroir de Seinte Eglise,Anglo-Norman Text Society, London, 1982 (=Anglo-Norman Texts40); Helen P. Forshaw (ed.),Speculum religiosorum and Speculum ecclesiae,Oxford University Press for the British Academy, Oxford, 1973 (=Auctores Britannici medii aevi3), pp. 29–111.
  26. ^Mirour de Seinte Eglyse (St Edmund of Abingdon's Speculum ecclesiae),ed. by A.D. Wilshere, Anglo-Norman Text Society, 40 (London: Anglo-Norman Text Society, 1982).
  27. ^"Our History".The Edmundites.Retrieved4 January2013.
  28. ^Urban, Cori (15 July 2018)."Society of St. Edmund elects new superior general".
  29. ^"Saint Anne's Shrine", Isle La Motte, Vermont

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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