Mellitus
Mellitus († April 24, 624 ) was sent to England in 601 by Pope Gregory I in response to an appeal from Augustine of Canterbury for more missionaries . He had been commissioned by Gregory to convey the pallium to Augustine, that is, the appointment as archbishop , along with a book present and all things that are needed for worship and the priesthood in the church .
After King Sæberhts of Essex converted to Christianity, London became the seat of a diocese again. Mellitus was appointed Bishop of London by Augustine and St Paul's Cathedral was founded as an episcopal church.
Mellitus was expelled from London in 617 by the king's pagan sons, Sexred , Saeward, and another whose name has not been recorded, as a result of his refusal to give them communion until after they were baptized . Mellitus fled to Gaul , but was recalled by Archbishop Lawrence of Canterbury , after whose death in 619 he succeeded as Archbishop of Canterbury .
Bede describes him as of noble birth ( Hist. Eccl. , II, vii) and Pope Gregory as Abbot ( Letters , xi, 54, 59). He may have been the abbot of St. Andrew's monastery , founded by Gregory, which included Gregory before he became Pope and Augustine before he was sent to Kent .
swell
- Beda Venerabilis : Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum , Online in the Medieval Sourcebook (English translation)
literature
- Karl Schnith: Mellitus of London and Canterbury. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 5, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-043-3 , Sp. 1229-1230.
Web links
- Mellitus information on the pages of the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
Remarks
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Theonus |
Bishop of London 604–624 |
Cedd |
| Laurentius |
Archbishop of Canterbury 619–624 |
Justus |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mellitus |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Archbishop of Canterbury |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 6th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 24, 624 |