| Birinus | |
|---|---|
Stained glass window of St. Birinus at Dorchester Abbey |
|
| See | Bishop of Dorchester |
| Appointed | before 634 |
| Reign ended | 3 December 649 |
| Predecessor | new foundation |
| Successor | Agilbertus |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 600 France |
| Died | 3 December 649 Dorchester, Oxfordshire, England |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | 3 December, 4 September |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy; Anglican Communion |
| Attributes | bishop, sometimes baptising a king |
| Patronage | Berkshire; Dorchester |
Birinus (c. 600–649), venerated as a saint, was the first Bishop of Dorchester,[1] and the "Apostle to the West Saxons".
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After Augustine of Canterbury performed initial conversions in England, Birinus, a Frank, came to the kingdoms of Wessex in 634,[2] landing at the port of "Hamwic", now in the St. Mary's area of Southampton. During Birinus's brief time at Hamwic, St. Mary's Church was founded.[3]
Birinus had been made bishop by Asterius in Genoa,[4] and Pope Honorius I created the commission to convert the West Saxons.[5] In 635, he persuaded the West Saxon king Cynegils to allow him to preach. Cynegils was trying to create an alliance with Oswald of Northumbria, with whom he intended to fight the Mercians. At the final talks between kings, the sticking point was that Oswald, being a Christian, would not ally himself with a heathen. Cynegils then converted and was baptized,[6] and he gave Birinus Dorchester-on-Thames for his episcopal see.[5] Birinus's original commission entailed preaching to parts of Britain where no missionary efforts had reached, and may have included instructions to reach the Mercians, but in the end Birinus stayed in the West Saxon kingdom, or Wessex as it became known.[7]
Birinus was very active in establishing churches in Wessex.[4] After Cynegils' death, the new king, Cenwalh, established a church at Winchester,[8] perhaps under Birinus' direction. He also supposedly laid the foundations for St. Mary's in Reading, Saint Helen's in Abingdon and other churches across old Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Birinus baptised Cynegils's son Cwichelm (d. 636)[9] and grandson Cuthred (d. 661), to whom he stood as godfather.[10]
Birinus' feast day is 3 December in the Roman Catholic Church,[11] but some churches celebrate his feast on 5 December. In the Church of England his feast day falls on 4 September and has the status of a Commemoration.[12] His relics were eventually translated to Winchester after his death.[13]
A small number of Church of England parish churches are dedicated to Birinus, including those at Berinsfield in Oxfordshire and Redlynch in Wiltshire.
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by new foundation |
Bishop of Dorchester 634–649 |
Succeeded by Agilbertus |