The lost shrine of St Erkenwald in Old St Paul's Cathedral: desecrated in the Reformation and destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666
Province
Canterbury
Installed
675
Term ended
693
Predecessor
Wine
Successor
Waldhere
Other post(s)
Prince, Abbot of Chertsey
Orders
Consecration
c. 675
Personal details
Born
c. 630
Kingdom of Lindsey
Died
693 Barking Abbey
Buried
Old St Paul's Cathedral, London through the location and survival of his relics are debated
Denomination
Roman Catholic Church
Sainthood
Feast day
13 May 24 April 30 April 14 November in England
Attributes
bishop in a small chariot, which he used for travelling his diocese; with Saint Ethelburga of Barking
Patronage
against gout, London
Shrines
St. Paul's, London: relics removed 1550, lost in the Great Fire of London
Saint Earconwald or Erkenwald[a] (died 693) was a Saxon prince[1] and Bishop of London between 675 and 693.[2] He is the eponymous subject of one of the most important poems in the foundations of English literature[3] (thought to be by the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Pearl Poet). He was called Lundoniae maximum sanctus, 'the most holy figure of London',[4][5] and Lux Londonie, "the light of London".[6] Peter Ackroyd has said of him, "we may still name him as the patron saint of London, [his]... cult survived for over eight hundred years, before entering the temporary darkness of the last four centuries".[4]
He is associated with a very early Anglo Saxon phase of building at St Paul's Cathedral, and William Dugdale says he began the building.[7]
In recent times he has been portrayed in novels and films, for example in the work of Bernard Cornwell.
The diocese of London was coterminous with the Kingdom of Essex, making the Bishop of London the Bishop of the East Saxons.[8]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
^"St. Erkenwald". St. Erkenwald Lodge 2808. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
^Gollancz, Israel (23 April 2018). St. Erkenwald. Forgotten Books. ISBN 978-0-331-84084-1.
^"Middle English Alliterative Poetry". mediakron.bc.edu. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
^ abAckroyd, Peter (1 January 1900). London: The Biography (Illustrated ed.). New York: Anchor Books. ISBN 978-0-385-49771-8.
^"London in the Not-so-Dark Ages". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
^"Statutes (Baldock and Lisieux): Pars sexta | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
^William Dugdale, 'The History of St. Paul's Cathedral in London' (London, 2nd ed. 1716), p115.
^On the Diocese of London originally serving the East Saxons "Our History". London Diocesan Board for Schools. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
Saint Earconwald or Erkenwald (died 693) was a Saxon prince and Bishop of London between 675 and 693. He is the eponymous subject of one of the most important...
Northumbria, he finds he has been deposed and is forced to retire to Ripon. Earconwald, Anglo-Saxon abbot, establishes the Benedictine abbeys, Chertsey Abbey...
former defensive wall. The gate's name is traditionally attributed to Earconwald, who was Bishop of London in the 7th century. It was first built in Roman...
Ajaw (Lady Six Sky) of Dos Pilas, and reigns until his death in 720. Earconwald, bishop of London, dies and is succeeded by Waldhere. He is buried at...
Southwell Eadgyth of Aylesbury Eadweard of Maugersbury Ealdgyth of Stortford Earconwald of London Egwin of Evesham Freomund of Mercia Frithuric of Breedon Frithuswith...
Southwell Eadgyth of Aylesbury Eadweard of Maugersbury Ealdgyth of Stortford Earconwald of London Egwin of Evesham Freomund of Mercia Frithuric of Breedon Frithuswith...
Bishops of London who gave their names to nearby streets were Mellitus, Earconwald, Osmund, Wulfstan, Gilbert Foliot, Richard FitzNeal, John Stokesley and...
in office, possibly before 672. c. 672 675 See vacant c. 675 693 Saint Earconwald Also recorded as Erconwald, Eorcenwald and Erkenwald. Formerly Abbot of...
1963. Nearby St Peter's redundant 1997 St Erkenwald, Barking Barking Earconwald 1934 Rebuilt 1954 St John the Divine, Becontree Becontree John the Evangelist...
Southwell Eadgyth of Aylesbury Eadweard of Maugersbury Ealdgyth of Stortford Earconwald of London Egwin of Evesham Freomund of Mercia Frithuric of Breedon Frithuswith...
Southwell Eadgyth of Aylesbury Eadweard of Maugersbury Ealdgyth of Stortford Earconwald of London Egwin of Evesham Freomund of Mercia Frithuric of Breedon Frithuswith...
Southwell Eadgyth of Aylesbury Eadweard of Maugersbury Ealdgyth of Stortford Earconwald of London Egwin of Evesham Freomund of Mercia Frithuric of Breedon Frithuswith...
as the house of Fursey. He was buried in a church (built specially by Earconwald) in Péronne which has claimed him as patron ever since. Many unusual events...
Southwell Eadgyth of Aylesbury Eadweard of Maugersbury Ealdgyth of Stortford Earconwald of London Egwin of Evesham Freomund of Mercia Frithuric of Breedon Frithuswith...
Southwell Eadgyth of Aylesbury Eadweard of Maugersbury Ealdgyth of Stortford Earconwald of London Egwin of Evesham Freomund of Mercia Frithuric of Breedon Frithuswith...
the city gates that formerly stood here, thought to commemorate Saint Earconwald, Bishop of London in the 7th century Blackfriars Bridge, Blackfriars Court...
Northumbria he finds he has been deposed and is forced to retire to Ripon. Earconwald establishes the Benedictine Chertsey Abbey for men and (at about this...
Ajaw (Lady Six Sky) of Dos Pilas, and reigns until his death in 720. Earconwald, bishop of London, dies and is succeeded by Waldhere. He is buried at...
Southwell Eadgyth of Aylesbury Eadweard of Maugersbury Ealdgyth of Stortford Earconwald of London Egwin of Evesham Freomund of Mercia Frithuric of Breedon Frithuswith...
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