Eoban
Encyclopedia
Eoban was a companion of St. Boniface, and was martyred with him on his final mission. In Germany, he is revered as a bishop and martyr.
. The Fulda martyrology mentions him as a bishop, as does the Vita tertia Bonifatii.
According to the Vita Bonifatii auctore Willibaldo, on the morning of 5 June 754, Boniface and 50 others, presumably including Eoban (none of the companions are mentioned by name in the Vita), were killed at Dokkum
(The Netherlands) by pagan Frisians. His cult was of some importance to English Catholics; he is included in the paintings made by Niccolò Circignani
of English saints and martyrs in the English College, Rome.
, and buried next to St. Boniface. Before 1100 they had been then transferred to Erfurt
. Around this time the veneration of the companions of St. Boniface began in Erfurt.
The Sarcophagus
containing the relics of the saints Adalar and Eoban in the Erfurt Cathedral
is dated from about 1350.
His feast day as a saint is on 7 July.
Biography
Little is known of Eoban apart from what the Vita Bonifatii says. Apparently, he was an English priest who came to Germany together with St. Boniface. In 753, Willibald's Vita lists him as a ChorbishopChorbishop
A chorbishop is a rank of Christian clergy below bishop. The name chorepiscope or chorepiscopus is taken from the Greek and means rural bishop.-History:Chorepiscopi are first mentioned by Eusebius in the second century...
. The Fulda martyrology mentions him as a bishop, as does the Vita tertia Bonifatii.
According to the Vita Bonifatii auctore Willibaldo, on the morning of 5 June 754, Boniface and 50 others, presumably including Eoban (none of the companions are mentioned by name in the Vita), were killed at Dokkum
Dokkum
Dokkum is a Dutch fortified town in the municipality of Dongeradeel in the province of Friesland. It has 13,145 inhabitants . The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the bolwerken . - History :...
(The Netherlands) by pagan Frisians. His cult was of some importance to English Catholics; he is included in the paintings made by Niccolò Circignani
Niccolò Circignani
Niccolò Circignani was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period.Born in Pomarance, he is one of three Italian painters called Pomarancio. His first works are documented from the 1560s, where he painted frescos on the Old Testament stories for the Vatican Belvedere, where he...
of English saints and martyrs in the English College, Rome.
Veneration in Erfurt
After 756 the relics of the bishops of Utrecht Eoban and Adalar were transferred to FuldaFulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
, and buried next to St. Boniface. Before 1100 they had been then transferred to Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
. Around this time the veneration of the companions of St. Boniface began in Erfurt.
The Sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
containing the relics of the saints Adalar and Eoban in the Erfurt Cathedral
Erfurt Cathedral
The Catholic Erfurt Cathedral is a 1200 year old church located on Cathedral Hill of Erfurt, in Thuringia, Germany. It is of a International Gothic style, and is also known as St Mary's Cathedral, and is located, uniquely, on a hillside.- History :...
is dated from about 1350.
His feast day as a saint is on 7 July.
External links
- Eoban in the Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon