Ecgwine

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Ecgwine (also Egwin, Æcgwynus, Egguuinus ; † December 30, 717 ) was from 693 to 717 the third bishop of Worcester and founder of the monastery of Evesham in the Kingdom of Hwicce .

Life

The historical Ecgwine has only been sparsely transmitted from contemporary sources. The oldest “biography” is a collection of legends and comes from Byrhtferth, a monk and hagiographer of the 11th century.

Ecgwine is said to come from the royal house of Mercias. He had renounced the worldly and led a pious life in seclusion when he was urged by the king and the clergy around 693 to succeed Oftfors Bishop of Worcester. As bishop he devoted himself to proselytizing the people, church discipline and made a pilgrimage to Rome. Legend has it that he put shackles on himself before the pilgrimage and threw the key into the River Avon . When he arrived in Rome, he was able to loosen the fetters because a fish that had swallowed the key was caught in the Tiber.

The shepherd Eof (also Eoves) told him about an apparition of Mary . When Ecgwine was shown the place, Mary appeared to him and ordered him to build a monastery. In 706, Æthelweard, as a subregulus (sub-king), required the consent of King Cenred of Mercia in order to give away land to Bishop Ecgwine for the construction of a monastery in Evesham. In 709 Ecgwine made a second pilgrimage to Rome, accompanied by Cenred, who had resigned as king, and King Offa of Essex. In Rome, Pope Constantine I granted him extensive privileges for Evesham Abbey. A document from King Æthelbald of Mercia from 716, the authenticity of which is questionable, identified him as abbot . In the same year he is said to have participated in the Council of Clovesho . Between 699 and 717 the exchange of lands between Ecgwine and King Æthelheard was recorded. As a witness, Bishop Ecgwine signed at least 18 other documents.

He died of natural causes on December 30, 717 and was buried in Evesham Monastery. Soon after his death, he was venerated as a saint . In 1039 his relics were reburied in a shrine. In 1077 the relics were carried through the region in procession to collect donations for the new construction of the monastery church. Iconographically he is represented as a bishop with a fish and a key. Remembrance days are December 30th (day of death), September 10th and January 11th (translation of the relics).

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Byrhtferth: Vita Sancti Ecgwini , around 1020

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Michael Lapidge, John Blair, Simon Keynes, Donald Scragg (eds.): The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England . Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford et al. a. 2001, ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1 , p. 158.
  2. ↑ a b c d St. Egwin at Catholic Encyclopedia
  3. ↑ p. 54
  4. ↑ p. 83
  5. ^ P. 1252
  6. ^ Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England z. B. S 22 , S 75 , S 64
  7. ↑ Saint Egwin of Worcester at Saints.SQPN.com ( Memento from February 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
predecessor Office successor
Oftfor Bishop of Worcester
693-717 		Wilfrith I.
personal data
SURNAME Ecgwine
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ecgwin; Egwin; Æcgwynus; Egguuinus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bishop of Worcester
DATE OF BIRTH 7th century
DATE OF DEATH December 30, 717