Acca of Hexham

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Saint

Acca of Hexham
Roman Catholicism; Anglicanism; Eastern Orthodoxy
Major shrineHexham Abbey, Northumberland (part of his cross survives)
Feast20 October

Acca of Hexham (c. 660 – 740/742) was an early medieval Northumbrian prelate, serving as bishop of Hexham from 709 until 732, and subsequently commemorated as a Christian saint.

Life

Remnant of cross that stood at Acca's grave, Hexham Abbey

Born in

Bishop of York, but later attached himself to Wilfrid, possibly as early as 678, and accompanied him on his travels.[1]

Later he told his friend Bede of their stay at Utrecht with the archbishop Willibrord, Wilfrid's old pupil who was carrying on his work of converting continental heathens. On the return from their second journey to Rome in 692, Wilfrid was reinstated at Hexham and made Acca abbot of St Andrew's monastery there. During Wilfrid's later years, Acca was the older man's loyal companion, eventually succeeding him in 709 as abbot and bishop.[2]

Acca tackled his duties with much energy, in ruling the diocese and in conducting the services of the church. He also carried on the work of church building and decorating started by Wilfrid. Acca was both an accomplished musician and a learned theologian. Bede describes Acca as "...a most experienced cantor, most learned in sacred writings, ...and thoroughly familiar with the rules of ecclesiastical custom."[3]

Acca once brought to the North a famous

Gregory the Great through Augustine of Canterbury.[4]

Acca was also famous for his theological learning; his theological library was praised by

Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum to Bede, who dedicated several of his most important works, especially those dealing with Holy Scripture, to him.[4]

For reasons now unknown, Acca either withdrew, or was driven from, his diocese in 732. Hexham tradition says he became

bishop of Whithorn in Galloway, Scotland,[5] while others claim he founded a see on the site of St Andrews, bringing with him relics collected on his Roman tour, including those of St Andrew.[6] Yet a third account states that having fallen out with the Northumbrian king, Acca went to live in exile in Ireland on a remote coast before returning to Hexham. St Andrew's Church in Aycliffe is said to have been once dedicated to Acca.[7]

Acca was buried at Hexham near the east wall of the abbey.

translation of his relics
is commemorated on 19 February.

The only surviving writing of Acca's is a letter addressed to Bede and printed in his

works
(see also Raine below).

Citations

  1. ^ a b c "Northern Saints", 'This is Durham', Durham County Council
  2. ISBN 9780814631867
    , p. 6
  3. ISBN 9780802090089
    , p. 265
  4. ^ a b Thurston, Herbert. "St. Acca." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 12 May 2013
  5. ^ a b c Oxford Dictionary of Saints
  6. ^ ""St. Andrew's Day", Scotland, November 2010". Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  7. ^ "St Andrew's Church".

References

External links
Christian titles
Preceded by Bishop of Hexham
709–732 		Succeeded by
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