Richard the Pilgrim
Encyclopedia
Saint Richard the Pilgrim (also St Richard of Wessex, St. Richard the King, St. Richard the Saxon, St. Richard of Swabia) is a saint
of the Christian Church. He was born in Wessex
, England. He was the brother-in-law of Saint Boniface
(Archbishop of Mainz) and father of Saints Willibald (Bishop of Eichstätt), Winnebald or Winibald (Abbot of Heidenheim
), and Walburga (Abbess of Heidenheim).
Richard, his supposed wife Wuna and their three children are depicted together at St Walburga's shrine in Eichstätt
.
Richard is said to have obtained the recovery of his grievously sick three-year-old younger son Willibald through his prayers.
Richard renounced his royal estate and set sail with his two sons from Hamblehaven near Southampton
about 721. They landed in France and stayed for a while in Rouen
before setting off on the pilgrimage route to Italy, making devotions at most of the shrines on the way.
He fell ill with a fever and died in Lucca, in Tuscany, where he was buried in the church of San Frediano
(founded by the Irish monk Frigidian). Miracles were reported at his tomb and a cult of veneration grew up. The people of Lucca embellished accounts of his life, describing him as a prince of the English; another unreliable story described him as the Duke of Swabia in Germany.
Richard's niece, a nun called Hugeburc
or Huneburc (Huneburc of Heidenheim), wrote an account of the pilgrimage, which Willibald had continued to the Holy Land, under the title Hodoeporicon, some time thought to be between 761 and 786.
Some of Richard's relics were translated to Eichstätt where his son Willibald eventually became bishop.
In religious iconic art Richard is portrayed as a royal pilgrim, in an ermine-lined cloak and with two sons — one a bishop and one an abbot. His crown may be on a book (Roeder). He is venerated at Heidenheim and Lucca (Roeder).
A modern icon at the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration in the U.S. depicts him as King of Wessex.
The king of the West Saxons or Wessex who was contemporaneous was King Ine
, who ascended the throne in 688, and died in or after 726. Bede
has him abdicating after 37 years — i.e., 725-26; the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
has him abdicating about 726-28 and going to Rome and dying there. (Handbook of British Chronology, ed. Fryde et al., 3rd ed., RHS, 1986, p. 22).
Richard's feast day is February 7.
St. Richard the Pilgrim should not be confused with Richard le Pèlerin, (also "Richard the Pilgrim"), a North French or Flemish jongleur, an eyewitness of the siege of Antioch in 1097 and author of a poem on the subject.
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of the Christian Church. He was born in Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
, England. He was the brother-in-law of Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface , the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid, Wynfrith, or Wynfryth in the kingdom of Wessex, probably at Crediton , was a missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. He is the patron saint of Germany and the first archbishop of Mainz...
(Archbishop of Mainz) and father of Saints Willibald (Bishop of Eichstätt), Winnebald or Winibald (Abbot of Heidenheim
Heidenheim, Bavaria
Heidenheim is a municipality in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany.Heidenheim is an old German market town, which resides in the administrative region of Middle Franconia in the middle of Bavaria...
), and Walburga (Abbess of Heidenheim).
Richard, his supposed wife Wuna and their three children are depicted together at St Walburga's shrine in Eichstätt
Eichstätt
Eichstätt is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the District of Eichstätt. It is located along the Altmühl River, at , and had a population of 13,078 in 2002. It is home to the Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, the lone Catholic university in Germany. The...
.
Richard is said to have obtained the recovery of his grievously sick three-year-old younger son Willibald through his prayers.
Richard renounced his royal estate and set sail with his two sons from Hamblehaven near Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
about 721. They landed in France and stayed for a while in Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
before setting off on the pilgrimage route to Italy, making devotions at most of the shrines on the way.
He fell ill with a fever and died in Lucca, in Tuscany, where he was buried in the church of San Frediano
Basilica di San Frediano
The Basilica of San Frediano is a Romanesque church in Lucca, Italy, situated on the Piazza San Frediano.Fridianus was an Irish bishop of Lucca in the first half of the 6th century. He had a church built on this spot, dedicated to St. Vincent, a martyr from Zaragoza, Spain. When Fridianus was...
(founded by the Irish monk Frigidian). Miracles were reported at his tomb and a cult of veneration grew up. The people of Lucca embellished accounts of his life, describing him as a prince of the English; another unreliable story described him as the Duke of Swabia in Germany.
Richard's niece, a nun called Hugeburc
Hygeburg
Hygeburg , also Hugeburc or Huneberc, was an Anglo-Saxon nun at the Abbey of Heidenheim in Germany.Hygeburg was the author of a life of Willibald, the Vita S. Willibaldi, written at some time between 767 and 778. She also produced a life of Willibald's brother Wynnebald, who had been Abbot of...
or Huneburc (Huneburc of Heidenheim), wrote an account of the pilgrimage, which Willibald had continued to the Holy Land, under the title Hodoeporicon, some time thought to be between 761 and 786.
Some of Richard's relics were translated to Eichstätt where his son Willibald eventually became bishop.
In religious iconic art Richard is portrayed as a royal pilgrim, in an ermine-lined cloak and with two sons — one a bishop and one an abbot. His crown may be on a book (Roeder). He is venerated at Heidenheim and Lucca (Roeder).
A modern icon at the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration in the U.S. depicts him as King of Wessex.
The king of the West Saxons or Wessex who was contemporaneous was King Ine
Ine of Wessex
Ine was King of Wessex from 688 to 726. He was unable to retain the territorial gains of his predecessor, Cædwalla, who had brought much of southern England under his control and expanded West Saxon territory substantially...
, who ascended the throne in 688, and died in or after 726. Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
has him abdicating after 37 years — i.e., 725-26; the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
has him abdicating about 726-28 and going to Rome and dying there. (Handbook of British Chronology, ed. Fryde et al., 3rd ed., RHS, 1986, p. 22).
Richard's feast day is February 7.
St. Richard the Pilgrim should not be confused with Richard le Pèlerin, (also "Richard the Pilgrim"), a North French or Flemish jongleur, an eyewitness of the siege of Antioch in 1097 and author of a poem on the subject.