| Saint Godric of Finchale | |
|---|---|
| Hermit | |
| Born | c. 1065, Walpole in Norfolk, England |
| Died | May 21, 1170, Finchale in County Durham, England |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | |
| Attributes | Hermit |
 Saints Portal |
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Saint Godric of Finchale or Saint Goderic (c. Norfolk (ˈnɔrfək is a low-lying county in East Anglia, England, United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Finchale Priory (pronounced finkle was a 13th century Benedictine priory the remains are sited by the River Wear, four miles from Durham. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints Christianity has used symbols from its very beginnings Each Saint has a story and a reason why he or she led an exemplary life A hermit (from the Greek ἔρημος erēmos, signifying " Desert " "uninhabited" hence "desert-dweller" adjective "eremitic" 1065–May 21, 1170) was an English hermit and popular medieval saint, although he was never formally canonized. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A hermit (from the Greek ἔρημος erēmos, signifying " Desert " "uninhabited" hence "desert-dweller" adjective "eremitic" A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Canonization is the act by which a particular Christian church declares a deceased person to be a Saint and is included in the canon or list of recognized saints He was born in Walpole in Norfolk and died in Finchale in County Durham, England. Norfolk (ˈnɔrfək is a low-lying county in East Anglia, England, United Kingdom. Finchale Priory (pronounced finkle was a 13th century Benedictine priory the remains are sited by the River Wear, four miles from Durham. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland
Saint Godric's life was recorded by a contemporary of his: a monk named Reginald of Durham. Reginald of Durham ( fl. 1162 &mdash 1173 was an English monk and Hagiologist. Several other hagiographies are also extant. Hagiography ( is the study of Saints. A hagiography, from Greek (hağios (ἅγιος "holy" or "saint" and graphē (γραφή According to these accounts, Godric, who began from humble beginnings as the son of Ailward and Edwenna, "both of slender rank and wealth, but abundant in righteousness and virtue", was a pedlar, then a sailor and entrepreneur, and may have been the captain and owner of the ship that conveyed Baldwin I of Jerusalem to Jaffa in 1102. Baldwin I of Jerusalem, formerly Baldwin I of Edessa, born Baldwin of Boulogne (French Baudouin de Boulogne 1058? - April 2, 1118, was Jaffa يَافَا;(יָפוֹ Yafo; also Japho, Joppa) is an ancient Port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world After years at sea, Godric reportedly went to the island of Lindisfarne and there encountered Saint Cuthbert; this will not have been a physical encounter as Cuthbert had long been dead and was by then interred under Durham Cathedral. Lindisfarne () (variant spelling Lindesfarne is a Tidal island off the north-east coast of England. For the Dungeons & Dragons deity see Saint Cuthbert (Dungeons & Dragons St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (c This encounter changed his life, and he devoted himself to Christianity and service to God thereafter. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity.
After many pilgrimages around the Mediterranean, Godric returned to England and lived with a hermit named Aelric for two years. In Religion and Spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or Search of great Moral significance Aelric was a Northumbrian mason, probably of Saxon origin He was perhaps the designer of the Abbey Church at Dunfermline, Scotland Upon Aelric's death, Godric made one last pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and then returned home where he convinced Ranulf Flambard, the Bishop of Durham, to grant him a place to live as a hermit at Finchale, by the River Wear. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Ranulf Flambard, also known as Ralph Flambard or Ranulph Flambard and sometimes Ranulf Passiflamme, (c See also List of Bishops of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican Bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in The River Wear (wɪə("wee-er" is a river in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards mostly through County Durham, He had previously served as doorkeeper, the lowest of the minor orders, at the hospital church of nearby St Giles Hospital in Durham. The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. St Giles Church is a grade I listed Parish church in Gilesgate, Durham, England. Kepier Hospital (properly the Hospital of St Giles of Kepier) is a medieval hospital of Kepier, Durham, England. Durham (ˈdʌrəm in RP, locally ˈdʏrəm is a small city and main settlement of the City of Durham district of County Durham, England He is recorded to have lived at Finchale for the final sixty years of his life, occasionally meeting with visitors approved by the local prior. As the years passed, his reputation grew, and Thomas Becket and Pope Alexander III both reportedly sought Godric's advice as a wise and holy man. St Thomas Becket (c 1118 &ndash December 29, 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170 Pope Alexander III (c 1100/1105 &ndash August 30, 1181) born Rolando (or Orlando) Bandinelli, was Pope from 1159
Reginald describes Godric's physical attributes:
"For he was vigorous and strenuous in mind, whole of limb and strong in body. He was of middle stature, broad-shouldered and deep-chested, with a long face, grey eyes most clear and piercing, bushy brows, a broad forehead, long and open nostrils, a nose of comely curve, and a pointed chin. His beard was thick, and longer than the ordinary, his mouth well-shaped, with lips of moderate thickness; in youth his hair was black, in age as white as snow; his neck was short and thick, knotted with veins and sinews; his legs were somewhat slender, his instep high, his knees hardened and horny with frequent kneeling; his whole skin rough beyond the ordinary, until all this roughness was softened by old age. . . . "
St Godric is perhaps best remembered for his kindness toward animals, and many stories recall his protection of the creatures who lived near his forest home. According to one of these, he hid a stag from pursuing hunters; according to another, he even allowed snakes to warm themselves by his fire.
Reginald of Durham recorded four songs of St Godric's: they are the oldest songs in English for which the original musical settings survive. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States
The novel Godric (1981) by Frederick Buechner is a fictional retelling of his life and travels. Godric (ISBN 0-06-061162-6 is a novel published in 1981, written by Frederick Buechner, that tells the semi-fictionalised Frederick Buechner (born July 11, 1926) full name Carl Frederick Buechner is a Presbyterian PCUSA minister and an American author It was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism,
See also
Bibliography
- Reginald of Durham, "Life of St. Finchale Priory (pronounced finkle was a 13th century Benedictine priory the remains are sited by the River Wear, four miles from Durham. Reginald of Durham ( fl. 1162 &mdash 1173 was an English monk and Hagiologist. Godric," in G. G. Coulton, ed. George Gordon Coulton ( October 15, 1858 – March 4, 1947) was a British Historian, known for numerous works on Medieval history "Social Life in Britain from the Conquest to the Reformation," Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1918.
- Frederick Buechner, "Godric," 1981, ISBN 0-06-061162-6, a historical novel. Frederick Buechner (born July 11, 1926) full name Carl Frederick Buechner is a Presbyterian PCUSA minister and an American author
- Entry for "Godric", first edition of the Dictionary of National Biography. The Dictionary of National Biography ( DNB) is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history published from 1885
- Victoria M. Tudor, "Reginald of Durham and St. Godric of Finchale: a study of a twelfth-century hagiographer and his subject", Reading PhD thesis, 1979.
- Victoria M. Tudor, "Reginald of Durham and Saint Godric of Finchale: learning and religion on a personal level," "Studies in Church History," 17, 1981.
External links
- Medieval SourceBook: Reginald of Durham, Life of Saint Godric (12th Cent), excerpts.
- The Hermit in Lore: Frederick Buechner's Godric.
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