Saint Acca
Saint Acca of Hexham (born c. 660 AD; died 742 AD) was an Anglo-Saxon bishop, scholar, builder of churches, and friend of the Venerable Bede, who served as Bishop of Hexham in Northumbria from 709 to 732 AD. He is celebrated for his remarkable collection of sacred music and church furnishings, his patronage of learning, his deep devotion to the Roman liturgical tradition, and his close collaboration with both Saint Wilfrid of Hexham (whose devoted disciple and companion he was for many years) and with Bede, for whom Acca provided historical and scholarly information. His tomb at Hexham Priory became a place of pilgrimage in the medieval period.
Saint Acca is one of the significant figures of the Northumbrian Renaissance — the extraordinary flowering of Christian learning and art in seventh- and eighth-century northern England that produced figures such as Bede, Saint Cuthbert, Saint Wilfrid, and Saint Aldhelm. His feast is observed on October 20 in the calendar of the Church of England and in some Roman Catholic calendars.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Acca
| Saint Acca | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | October 20 |
| Profession | Bishop of Hexham; scholar; church builder |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Anglo-Saxon Christianity |
| Patronage | Hexham; Northumbria |
| Attributes | Bishop's vestments; crozier; book (representing his learning and his patronage of Bede); cantor's notation (representing sacred music) |
| Birthplace | Northumbria, England (precise location unknown) |
| Death Place | Hexham, Northumberland, England |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; confessor bishop |
| Primary Shrine | Hexham Priory, Hexham, Northumberland, England |
| Liturgical Class | Not included |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth
Saint Acca was born around 660 AD in Northumbria, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom that occupied much of what is now northeastern England and southern Scotland. The precise location of his birth is not recorded. Northumbria in the seventh century was a newly Christianized kingdom — the faith had been brought there less than fifty years before Acca's birth by such missionary bishops as Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne and Saint Paulinus of York — and it was already developing into one of the great centers of Christian learning in Europe.
Early Life
As a young man, Acca came under the mentorship of Bishop Bosa of York, one of the clergy of the northern English Church. He is then recorded as joining the household of Saint Wilfrid of York (or Hexham), the great Anglo-Saxon bishop and champion of the Roman method of calculating Easter — one of the most important churchmen of the age. Acca became Wilfrid's devoted companion and disciple, accompanying him on his extensive travels throughout England and to Rome, a journey he made multiple times.
These journeys to Rome were formative for Acca. He devoted particular attention to learning and collecting: he acquired sacred music (plainchant) from the Roman tradition, gathered relics of saints and martyrs, purchased liturgical vessels and ornaments, and absorbed the broader culture of Roman Christian worship. He became, according to Bede, a man of exceptional learning in sacred music, Scripture, and theology.
Occupation
When Saint Wilfrid died in 709 AD, Acca succeeded him as Bishop of Hexham, the episcopal see based at the important monastery and church at Hexham in Northumberland. He held this position until 732 AD, when he was expelled from his see (the reasons for this expulsion are not entirely clear from historical sources; it may have related to political disputes in Northumbria).
As bishop, Acca was a tireless builder and patron. He enriched the Church of Hexham with new altars, sacred vessels, relics, vestments, paintings, and other ornaments in the Roman style. He expanded the church's library with sacred books and encouraged sacred music, bringing a trained Roman-style cantor (Maban) from Canterbury to teach the Roman chant to the Hexham clergy.
Most significantly for posterity, Acca was a close friend, patron, and collaborator of the Venerable Bede, the greatest scholar of early medieval England. Bede dedicated several of his works to Acca, and Acca provided him with historical materials, requested specific works from him, and corresponded with him. Bede's prefaces to works dedicated to Acca reveal a friendship of mutual intellectual respect and Christian devotion. Acca was, in Bede's words, "a man great before God and man" (vir ante Deum et homines magnus).
Vocation
Saint Acca's vocation was that of bishop-scholar-builder, one of the characteristic holy men of the Northumbrian Renaissance. In an age when the Church was the primary custodian of learning and art, Acca served both as a spiritual shepherd and as a patron of civilization, enriching the worship and learning of his church and encouraging the work of the greatest scholar of his age.
Death
Saint Acca died in 742 AD, ten years after his expulsion from Hexham. Whether he returned to Hexham or died elsewhere is a matter of some uncertainty in the sources; his relics were, in later centuries, associated with Hexham and also with the Cathedral of St. Andrews in Scotland. The translation of his relics was celebrated as a major event.
Saint Acca met his end as a confessor bishop in 742 AD, having enriched the Church of Northumbria with the fruits of his learning, his pastoral care, and his patronage of the great Bede.
Significant events
- Born in Northumbria c. 660 AD.
- Entered the service of Bishop Bosa of York before joining the household of Saint Wilfrid.
- Accompanied Saint Wilfrid on multiple journeys to Rome, acquiring sacred music, relics, and liturgical objects.
- Succeeded Saint Wilfrid as Bishop of Hexham in 709 AD.
- Enriched the church of Hexham with altars, relics, sacred vessels, vestments, and a library.
- Brought the Roman cantor Maban from Canterbury to teach Roman-style chant to the Hexham clergy.
- Formed a close friendship and intellectual partnership with the Venerable Bede; several of Bede's works are dedicated to him.
- Expelled from his see of Hexham in 732 AD for reasons not fully known from historical sources.
- Died 742 AD; feast day observed on October 20.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Northumbria, England (precise location unknown)
Death location: Hexham, Northumberland, England
Notable location: His episcopal see; site of his tomb and pilgrimage shrine (Hexham Priory, Hexham, Northumberland, England)
Notable location: City where he first served under Archbishop Bosa before joining Saint Wilfrid (York (Eboracum), Yorkshire, England)
Notable location: Destination of multiple pilgrimages with Saint Wilfrid; where he acquired sacred music, relics, and liturgical objects (Rome, Italy)
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Saint Acca have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
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No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
List of shrines
Hexham Priory (Hexham Abbey), Hexham, Northumberland, England
Hexham Priory (also known as Hexham Abbey) in Hexham, Northumberland, is the site of Saint Acca's episcopal see and the location of his tomb. The priory church, which stands on the site of the original Anglo-Saxon church where Acca served, became a place of pilgrimage to his relics in the medieval period. The current building dates largely from the twelfth century and later, but preserves associations with the early Anglo-Saxon church of Acca's time. Two ancient stone crosses at Hexham are associated with the saint's burial.
- Location: Beaumont Street, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 3NB, England
- Diocese: Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle (Catholic); Church of England Diocese of Newcastle
- Notable features: Site of Acca's episcopal see and tomb; ancient stone crosses; medieval priory church
Canonization
Servant of God
Saint Acca was not subjected to a modern formal canonization process. His recognition rests on the ancient tradition of the English Church and is supported by the testimony of the Venerable Bede.
Venerable
Not applicable (pre-Congregation of Rites recognition).
Beatification
Not applicable.
Canonization
Saint Acca is recognized as a saint by ancient tradition. His cult at Hexham was well-established by the medieval period.
Miracles
Bede records miracles associated with the tomb of Saint Acca at Hexham. No specific miracle has been formally authenticated through a modern canonical process, as his recognition predates the current formal canonization procedures.
Miracle for beatification
Not applicable.
Miracle for canonization
Not applicable.
Other notable miracles
- Healings attributed to his intercession were reported at his tomb at Hexham, as noted in medieval sources.
Patronage
Saint Acca is venerated as a patron of Hexham and of Northumbria.
Feast day
October 20
Veneration
Saint Acca is venerated in the Church of England and in the Roman Catholic Church as one of the holy bishops of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria. His feast day is October 20. He holds a special place in the tradition of Christian learning as the friend and patron of the Venerable Bede, the greatest scholar of early medieval England, and as a bishop who enriched his church and his age with the treasures of Roman liturgical and musical tradition.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
Books
Written about the saint
- Bede. Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (Ecclesiastical History of the English People), various references to Acca. Primary source; Bede was his personal friend.
- Bede. Prefaces to works dedicated to Acca (In Lucam, In Marci Evangelium, Hexaemeron, and others).
- Acta Sanctorum, October vol. VIII. Hagiographic collection.
Written by the saint
- No writings by Saint Acca have been identified; he is known primarily through Bede's references to him.
External links
References
- Bede. Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum. Edited and translated by Bertram Colgrave and R. A. B. Mynors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969.
- Roman Martyrology (Martyrologium Romanum). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004.
- Acta Sanctorum, October VIII (October 20). Antwerp/Brussels, 1643–1940.