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Mellitus

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St Mellitus
Archbishop of Canterbury
Enthroned	619
Ended	24 April 624
Predecessor	Laurence of Canterbury
Successor	Justus
Died	24 April 624

Sainthood

Bishop of London Archbishop of Canterbury
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion
Commemorated	April 24
Saints Portal

Saint Mellitus (died April 24, 624) was the first Bishop of London and the third Archbishop of Canterbury.

1 Life
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

Bede describes Mellitus as being of noble birth^[1] and Pope Gregory I describes him as an abbot. ^[2] He may have been abbot of the monastery of St. Andrew on the Celian Hill,^[3] founded by Gregory, to which both Gregory belonged before he became pope and St. Augustine belonged before he was sent to Kent.

Mellitus was sent to England in 601 AD by Gregory in response to an appeal from Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, for a fresh band of missionaries.^[3] He was commissioned by Gregory to convey the pallium to Augustine, together with a present of books and "all things which were needed for worship and the ministry of the Church."^[4]

Mellitus was consecrated in 604 by Augustine as bishop^[5] in the province of the East Saxons, which had a capital at London, making him the first Bishop of London.^[6] Mellitus founded St. Paul's Cathedral in London and made it his episcopal see.^[6] Mellitus attended a council of bishops in Italy in February of 610, held by Pope Boniface IV.^[6]^[2]

He baptised King Saebert of Essex, King Æthelberht of Kent's nephew, but was driven from London by Sebert's heathen sons in 616,^[7]^[8] after he refused the brothers request for a taste of the sacramental bread.^[1] He fled to Gaul but was recalled to Britain by St. Laurence of Canterbury, the second Archbishop of Canterbury. However, he did not return to London, as Essex remained pagan until Sigeberht II of Essex was converted to Christianity in about 650.^[9] While he was bishop, Mellitus and Justus subscribed a letter that Laurence wrote to the Celtic bishops urging the Celtic Church to adopt the Roman method of calculating the date of Easter.^[10]

Upon Laurence's death in 619, Mellitus succeeded him as the third Archbishop of Canterbury.^[11] Gregory I addressed a letter to Melitus that dealt with the issue of pagan festivals, with the pope urging Melitus to associate pagan holy days with a Christian saint.^[12] It was while he was archbishop that he supposedly performed a miracle in 623 by diverting a fire that had started in Canterbury and was threatening the church. Mellitus was carried into the flames, which caused the winds to change direction, saving the church.^[13] Other than the miracle, little happened during his time as archbishop, with Bede praising his sane mind.^[14]

He died on April 24, 624^[11] and was buried at St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury.^[1] After his death, he was revered as a saint, with a feast day of April 24.^[3]^[15]

^ ^a ^b ^c Bede A History of the English Church and People translated by Leo Sherley-Price London:Penguin Books 1988 ISBN 0-14-044042-9 p. 109-112
^ ^a ^b Brooks, N. P. "Mellitus (d. 624)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press Sept 2004 online edn, Oct 2005 accessed 7 Nov 2007
^ ^a ^b ^c Walsh, Michael A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West London: Burns & Oates 2007 ISBN 0-8601-2438-X p. 420
^ Bede A History of the English Church and People translated by Leo Sherley-Price London:Penguin Books 1988 ISBN 0-14-044042-9 p. 85-86
^ Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961 p. 238
^ ^a ^b ^c Bede A History of the English Church and People translated by Leo Sherley-Price London:Penguin Books 1988 ISBN 0-14-044042-9' p. 104-107
^ Delaney, John J. Dictionary of Saints Second Edition Doubleday: New York 2003 ISBN 0-385-13594-7 p. 431
^ Hindley, Geoffrey A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons: The beginnings of the English nation New York: Carrol & Graf Publishers 2006 ISBN 978-0-78671738-5 p. 36
^ Ashely, Mike The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens New York: Carroll & Graff 1998 ISBN 0-7967-0692-9 p. 233-234
^ Stenton, F. M. Anglo-Saxon England Third Edition Oxford:Oxford University Press 1971 ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5 p. 112
^ ^a ^b Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961 p. 209
^ Eckenstein, Lina Woman under monasticism: chapters on saint-lore and convent life between A.D. 500 and A.D. 1500 Cambridge: University Press, 1896 "Introductory" accessed on September 6, 2007
^ Ashely, Mike The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens New York: Carroll & Graff 1998 ISBN 0-7967-0692-9 p. 218
^ Hindley, Geoffrey A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons: The beginnings of the English nation New York: Carrol & Graf Publishers 2006 ISBN 978-0-78671738-5 p. 43
^ Catholic Online Saints and Angels: St. Melitus of Canterbury accessed on September 3, 2007

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Theonus	Bishop of London 604–619	Succeeded by Cedd
Preceded by Laurence of Canterbury	Archbishop of Canterbury 619–624	Succeeded by Justus

Persondata
NAME	Mellitus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Melitus
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Archbishop of Canterbury; Bishop of London
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH	April 24, 624
PLACE OF DEATH