Peter of Canterbury
Peter of Canterbury | |
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Abbot of Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church |
Peter of Canterbury[1] or Petrus[2] (died c. 607 or after 614) was the first abbot of the monastery of SS. Peter and Paul in Canterbury (later St Augustine's Abbey) and a companion of Augustine in the Gregorian mission to Kent. Augustine sent Peter as an emissary to Rome around 600 to convey news of the mission to Pope Gregory I. Peter's death has traditionally been dated to around 607, but evidence suggests that he was present at a church council in Paris in 614, so he probably died after that date.
Life
Peter was presumed to be a native of Italy, like the other members of the Gregorian mission.
The medieval chronicler Bede records that sometime after the mission arrived in England,[5] probably in late 600,[2] Peter, along with fellow-missionary Laurence, was sent back to Gregory. This deputation was to relay the news of Augustine's successes in Kent and to request more missionaries.[5] They also conveyed to the pope several inquiries from Augustine about how to proceed with the mission, and when they returned in 601, they brought back Gregory's replies to Augustine.[2]
Peter became the abbot of the monastery that Æthelberht founded in Canterbury, originally dedicated to the saints
Death and veneration
Peter drowned while crossing the
Peter is considered a saint, with a feast day on 6 January. His cult was confirmed in 1915.[1] A Vita Petri, or Life of Peter, written by Eadmer in the 12th century, exists in manuscript form, but it is unreliable.[2] There is evidence that Peter was the object of veneration in Boulogne in the 15th century, and a church in that town was associated with Peter, although probably not from the start of his cult.[10]
See also
Citations
- ^ a b Walsh New Dictionary of Saints p. 482
- ^ a b c d e f g Hunt "Petrus (St Petrus)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ Blair World of Bede p. 87
- ^ Mayr-Harting Coming of Christianity pp. 61–63
- ^ a b Brooks Early History of the Church of Canterbury pp. 9–10
- ^ Brooks Early History of the Church of Canterbury p. 88
- ^ Blair World of Bede p. 74
- ^ Wood "Mission of Augustine" Speculum p. 7
- ^ Hayward "Absent Father" Journal of Medieval History p. 204
- ^ Hayward "Absent Father" Journal of Medieval History pp. 206–207
References
- ISBN 0-521-39819-3.
- ISBN 0-7185-0041-5.
- Hayward, Paul Antony (2003). "An Absent Father: Eadmer, Goscelin and the Cult of St Peter, the First Abbot of St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury". S2CID 159827773.
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/22056. Retrieved 21 February 2009. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- ISBN 0-271-00769-9.
- Walsh, Michael J. (2007). A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West. London: Burns & Oats. ISBN 978-0-86012-438-2.
- Wood, Ian (January 1994). "The Mission of Augustine of Canterbury to the English". S2CID 161652367.
External links
- Peter 4 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England; probably also Peter 3
- Peter of Canterbury at Patron Saints Index