Saint Guthlac
Saint Guthlac (born c. 674 AD in Mercia, England; died April 11, 714 AD in Crowland, Lincolnshire, England) was an Anglo-Saxon warrior who became a hermit in the Lincolnshire fens at Crowland, where he lived for fifteen years enduring diabolical attacks, visions, and severe asceticism. He is one of the most celebrated English hermit saints, and the monastery founded at Crowland after his death — Crowland Abbey — became one of the great abbeys of medieval England. His life was written by his companion Felix. His feast day is April 11.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Guthlac
| Saint Guthlac | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | April 11 |
| Profession | Anglo-Saxon warrior; hermit; ascetic |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Anglo-Saxon monastic tradition; hermit; Crowland |
| Patronage | Crowland; the Lincolnshire fens; hermits; those who struggle against demons; England (unofficially); exiles and those seeking refuge |
| Attributes | Warrior converted to monk; scourge (the diabolical beatings); raven or crow (the tamed ravens); whip or flail (demons); Crowland Abbey model |
| Birthplace | Mercia, England (exact location unknown) |
| Death Place | Crowland, Lincolnshire, England |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died peacefully at his hermitage at Crowland after a brief illness, April 11, 714 AD |
| Primary Shrine | Crowland Abbey ruins, Crowland, Lincolnshire, England — the abbey built on his hermitage site; one of the great medieval abbeys of England; his shrine was destroyed at the Reformation; ruins survive as a significant historical site; his feast is still observed locally |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman Calendar; feast April 11; observed in England and the Diocese of Nottingham |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar; observed in England |
Biography
Guthlac was born around 674 in Mercia into a noble family of royal descent (related to the Mercian royal house through Icel). He spent his youth as a warrior — a member of one of the raiding war-bands that were a feature of early medieval Mercian society. He was successful and ambitious. Then, around age 24, he suddenly felt overwhelming remorse for the suffering he had caused and turned entirely from the warrior life.
He entered the monastery of Repton (Hreapandun), a double monastery under the Abbess Ælfthryth. After two years there, he felt called to an even more radical renunciation. In 699 he set out into the fens of Lincolnshire — a vast, desolate marshland that was feared as a place of demons and evil spirits — and found a remote island at Crowland (Croyland). There was a mound on the island (an ancient Anglo-Saxon burial barrow) and a sunken cell. He moved in and lived there for fifteen years until his death.
His biographer Felix (writing c. 730–740) records his life in detail, drawing on eyewitness accounts including from his companion Beccel and later his sister Pega. The Life of Guthlac by Felix is one of the most vivid saint's lives in the Old English literary tradition, and an Old English poem Guthlac (preserved in the Exeter Book) and a remarkable illustrated 12th-century Guthlac Roll (in the British Library) testify to his enduring popularity.
King Æthelbald of Mercia, whom Guthlac had sheltered as a fugitive and whose future kingship he prophesied, founded Crowland Abbey on the site of his hermitage after his death. The abbey became one of the premier Benedictine houses of medieval England. It was destroyed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII; the ruins survive as Crowland's principal landmark.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Mercia, England (exact location unknown)
Death location: Crowland, Lincolnshire, England
Notable location: His hermitage on the island of Crowland in the Lincolnshire fens; he lived here for fifteen years in a burial mound (a barrow) on an island surrounded by marsh; Crowland Abbey was founded here after his death and became one of the great Benedictine abbeys of medieval England (Crowland (Croyland), Lincolnshire, England)
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Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Guthlac have been added to the database yet.
Media
| Media | Length | AuthorCreator |
|---|---|---|
| St. Guthlac and the Connection with St. Francis of Assisi | 15–30 minutes | Catholic Journey |
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
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No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Known shrines
- Crowland Abbey ruins, Crowland, Lincolnshire, England — his hermitage site; the Benedictine abbey built over it; the ruins survive; his feast observed locally April 11.
Feast day
April 11
Veneration
Saint Guthlac is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day on April 11, observed in England and Lincolnshire. He is one of the most celebrated Anglo-Saxon hermit saints.
Prayers
Authored
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Intercessory
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