by Sister Theovouli
St. Birinus, was most likely a Lombard¹, and a monk of St. Andrew’s Benedictine Monastery on 1 the Caelian Hill in Rome. In AD 634, Pope Honorius I (reigning from 625 to 638 CE) commissioned him to undertake a missionary journey to Mercia, England. To prepare for this task, St. Birinus was consecrated as a bishop by Archbishop Asterius in Genoa. He promised Honorius that he would “sow the seed of the holy faith in the inner parts beyond the English”.
Honorius provided him with a corporal – this was most likely an early antimension – a cloth with a relic sewn into it, to use as an altar table while travelling. Before going on board the ship to Mercia, St. Birinus celebrated the Divine Liturgy using the antimension, but accidently left it behind. When he realised, the ship was already out at sea. The bishop plunged overboard, made for shore and recovered it. He then returned to the ship by walking on the water, which had remained stationary despite an off-shore wind. The seamen, noticing that his garments had remained dry, asked to be baptised.
As they were heading for the Kent coast, the ship was driven off course by bad weather, and they beached at Portchester, in Hampshire, on the Saxon shore. During this time, the land was occupied by the Gewisse (the West Saxons). St. Birinus took this as an act of God, and the company made their way up the Thames valley towards Mercia, preaching as they went, and aided by the British Christians who had retained their religion despite their pagan overlords. By the time he reached Silchester (halfway to Oxford), he was committed to the West Saxon mission. Bede explains: “on arriving in Britain and first coming to the West Saxons, where he found all to be confirmed pagans, he thought it more useful to preach the Word there, rather than to go farther looking for people to whom he could preach”.
The King, at the time, was desperately trying to finalise an alliance with the powerful Christian King Oswald of Northumbria. Together, he hoped they could defeat the Mercians. He arranged negotiations at his palace in Easthampstead (between the modern Newbury and Ascot), and the King of Northumbria travelled down to meet him. On his way, at Finchampstead, King Oswald became thirsty and prayed for water. The Holy Dozell’s (St.Oswald’s) Well sprang up to answer their needs. This well was accidentally destroyed in AD 1872 by deepening the adjoining ditch: a plaque marks the spot.
At the negotiations, Oswald agreed to ally himself with Cynegils, on condition that Cynegils converted to Christianity. He proposed sealing the treaty by marrying Cynegils daughter, Cyneburga. Cynegils was baptised by St. Birinus at Fountain Garth (Bracknell, Berkshire) and his daughter Cyneburga, was baptised at the same time.
The newly baptised virgin was married to Oswald during this period. At the same time, Lombardy had been claimed by the Franks, which may explain discrepancies in the accounts. According to the British Synaxarion for December, Oswald stood as Cynegils’ sponsor, and, as Saint Bede the Venerable recounts, “by an alliance most pleasing and acceptable to God, first adopted him, thus regenerated, as his son, and then took his daughter in marriage”.
After the baptisms and the wedding, Oswald remained with Cynegils. They consulted together about the best place to establish the bishop’s see. As Mercia was also without a bishop, they fixed upon Dorchester² near Oxford, an old Roman town, which was a convenient half-way house for both kingdoms. Immediately after the baptism, wedding and wedding feast, the Royal party travelled north to examine the site.
Along the journey, many of the royal courtiers also expressed a desire to embrace Christianity, leading to a mass baptism in the River Thame, a tributary of the Thames, at Dorchester. This site is now marked by a small church built between AD 1846 and AD 1849 by William Wardell³, a distinguished pupil of Pugin.
The crown prince, Cenwalh, was not baptised with the others. He seems to have started out as a bit of a bad lot – he deserted his wife, and was removed from the succession. Three years before his father’s death, he made a U-turn, returning to his wife and was baptised and re-instated. In AD 639, St. Birinus himself would stand godfather to Cenwalh’s son, Cwichelm.
The area under the jurisdiction of Bishop Birinus was enormous. It extended over the modern dioceses of Winchester, Lichfield, Worcester, Hereford, Bath and Wells, Salisbury, Lincoln, Ely, Oxford, Gloucester, Bristol, Exeter, Peterborough, and Chester. He was an indefatigable missionary, and ‘he built and consecrated many churches and, by his labours, called many to the Lord.
Two years before St. Birinus’ death, King Cenwalh built a small cross shaped church in Winchester. Ten years after St. Birinus’ death, Dorchester was taken over by Mercia (AD 660), and the reigning bishop removed to Winchester, which would eventually replace Dorchester as the episcopal see⁴.
St. Birinus played a key role in establishing churches in southern England including:
St. Birinus remained Bishop of Wessex till he died on 3rd December AD 649. Many miracles are attributed to his relics, but the English records appear to have been lost. He was buried at Dorchester, but less than 50 years after his death Bishop Hedda of Winchester had at least part of relics (bones) of St. Birinus moved from Dorchester to Winchester. In AD 980 Bishop Ethelwold translated the relics to a prominent position next to the high altar.
In the period before the Norman Conquest, St. Birinus’ festival on the 3rd December was included in many festal calendars – 18 out of 27 surviving Anglo-Saxon calendars. The date of the Translation of Relics, 4th. December, is included in 12 more. He was also included in many litanies of the saints, pilgrimages continued and miracles were reported, both at Winchester and Dorchester.
St. Birinus’ popularity dropped off in the mid 11c. after the Norman Conquest, and in AD 1150 the relics were moved again, along with those of five other saints including St. Swithun⁶, by Henri 6 de Blois to the New Minster. In the next two centuries, as the focus of veneration switched to St. Swithun, the relics of St. Birinus were gradually forgotten until, in AD1223, the Augustinian monks of Dorchester located the tomb of a former bishop, whom they believed to be St. Birinus. Among the miracles at the tomb, a mute child could suddenly speak English and French.
Former Pope, Honorius III, gave Archbishop Stephen Langton permission to translate the relics, but the Archbishop – in the meantime – found that Winchester appeared to have at least a portion of St. Birinus’ relics! The monks of both communities appealed to the Pope⁷ who asked for records of the 7 miracles recorded at both shrines. As far more miracles were recorded at Dorchester, the Pope decided that the Dorchester shrine should be the main focus of veneration. It is unfortunate that the 8 English copies of these records were lost at the Reformation, and the Rome records have not yet been uncovered⁸.
A new marble shrine was built at Dorchester in AD 1320, in the south choir aisle, and pilgrimages revived⁹. Here there were a series of stained glass windows representing St. Birinus’ life, of which one remains: dated around AD 1250, it depicts St. Birinus being blessed by Archbishop Asterius of Milan before his mission to Britain. At the Dissolution of the monasteries, in AD 1536, the Dorchester shrine was dismantled. In AD 1858 fragments of the vaulting were found in a blocked up doorway, and incorporated in a reconstructed shrine in AD 1963.
There was also a revival of veneration of St. Birinus at Winchester, and Bishop des Roches commissioned the metrical Vita Sancti Birini¹⁰. The relics were moved to a more accessible chapel. It is believed they suffered the same fate as St. Swithun’s relics, which were dispersed in 11 AD 1539, when the shrine was demolished. The well in the south aisle of the cathedral crypt is still known as ‘Birinus’ well.’
Taking up the Cross of Christ as it were a battle standard, thou didst set forth for the English lands, to wage war upon the ancient foe of mankind, O Birinus glorious in wonders; and, as a valiant champion of the Christian Faith, thou didst fight the good fight until the end. Wherefore, thou hast received the trophy of victory from the King of kings Whom thou didst serve. Entreat Him, O holy hierarch, that He save our souls.
¹ At that time, Lombardy was claimed by the Franks, hence the discrepancy in accounts
² Dorchester-on-Thames, then known as Dorcic or Doric.
³ The traditional site of the baptism has been handed down in local tradition. The church, dedicated to St. Birinus, was built by the Roman Catholic mission and completed the year before the Restoration of the hierarchy in 1850. It is one of the gems of Gothic revival architecture.
⁴ Bishop Wine, a Frank who had quarrelled with his king, Agilbert, was installed at Winchester by King Cenwalh, and made the royal town of Winchester his seat. King Alfred and his son built a New Minster in Winchester in AD 901, side by side with the Old Minster which was greatly expanded by Aethelwold, bishop of Winchester (AD 963-984) – it was briefly the largest church in Europe. The new and old minsters. The two churches and their monasteries existed side by side, until the Normans replaced them by the present cathedral in AD 1009-1093.
⁵ It was later replaced with a stone building dedicated to St Lawrence.
⁶ Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, died in AD 683.
⁷ This appears to be Innocent III
⁸ It is unfortunate that the English copies of these records were lost at the Reformation, and the Rome records 8 have not yet been uncovered. I would suggest that the real story is something like that of other relics during invasions: at first, the full body relic was moved to Winchester for safe keeping, as the Danish threat grew and later returned secretly to Dorchester, Winchester retaining a portion.
⁹ This shrine at Dorchester was refurbished in AD 1320.
¹⁰On the eve of his departure for the Sixth Crusade (AD 1228-9). Written by Henry of Avranches, it emphasised 10 the bishop’s position as successor to the old confessor saints such as Birinus, Swithun and Ethelwold, as well as promoting Birinus’ cult.
Primary Sources:
Secondary Sources. St. Berin, the Apostle of Wessex, John Edward Field, AD 1902.