Saints Gregory the Great and Augustine of Canterbury - Apostles of the English

The kingdom of the ancient English is the kingdom of God, and the Lord is glad to take care of the future. Vision of the Apostle Peter to Bishop Bertwald The English people had the special good fortune to venerate two saints at once - St. Gregory the Dvoeslov (March 12/25 in the Orthodox Church and September 3 in the West) and St. Augustine of Canterbury (May 27/June 9 - repose and locally in Canterbury - September 13/26 - transfer of relics) - the apostles of the English. The history of England, in fact, begins with them. Saint Gregory the Great, the future pope, was born around 540, and died, according to his earliest life, written by a monk from the Whitby monastery, about a hundred years later - in 604. Coming from a senator's family, Gregory abandoned his worldly career and title, deciding to serve God, in which the saint was supported by his righteous mother Sylvia. Using his vast wealth, Gregory founded six monasteries in the Greek-speaking part of Sicily and a seventh monastery in Rome. This monastery, which became the most famous, was dedicated to the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. It was located on the Caelian Hill of Rome, and Saint Gregory entered it in 574 as a simple monk. On this hill, the most important among the seven hills of Rome and located behind the Colosseum, the saint spent three years in prayer and repentance, like the Apostle Paul in the Arabian desert. This monastery was destined to become a breeding ground for saints, and St. Gregory never left it spiritually. In 579, Saint Gregory was sent to Constantinople to the imperial court as a papal legate. There he avoided the temptations and worldly life of the capital of the Christian Roman Empire, maintaining constant contact with the monastery of St. Andrew. He was accompanied and consoled by monks from this monastery, who became his good companions. Among these companions was probably the saint's cell attendant and a very reliable assistant named Augustine. Augustine was a disciple of St. Felix of Messana in Sicily and bore the name of St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, in North Africa, one hundred miles across the Strait of Sicily. Another close friend and future saint was Mellitus (who bore a Greek name), who became the first documented bishop of London; it is quite possible that he also accompanied Gregory to New Rome. The companionship of these people not only consoled Saint Gregory humanly and spiritually, but was also useful to him practically. We know that Gregory did not speak Greek and never learned it: perhaps he did not have a gift for languages. In any case, he needed Latin monks who could speak Greek. Since six of the monasteries founded by Gregory were in Sicily, it seems that it was easy for him to find Greek-speaking monks there, since at that time all of southern Italy was under Greek influence and Greek jurisdiction. Even his monastery in Rome could be partially inhabited by monks who were originally from southern Italy and Sicily. Gregory spent at least six years in New Rome. There he clearly understood that the emperors considered the main thing to be the fight against the Persians, and all the forces of the empire were spent on this. He realized clearly that the Western part of Christendom could not expect any military assistance from the East. The West must defend itself. And the only way seemed like this: Rome needed to enter into an alliance with the German kings of the West. And this was possible only after they converted to Christ. To make friends with the barbarians, you first had to send them missionaries. We can say that the idea of ​​​​converting to Christ the peoples who had by that time conquered the former Roman province of Britain originated in New Rome - Constantinople. This understanding marked a turning point in the mind of St. Gregory and in the history of England. Having learned that these people had not yet been converted to Christ, Gregory proclaimed that the Angles should become like angels, and was inspired by the idea of ​​sending a mission to them. Around 585, Gregory, the future pope, returned to Old Rome and became abbot of the monastery of St. Andrew, where he once lived for three happy years of his life. Soon after his return (previously 588) an event occurred which the Venerable Bede the Venerable describes in his Ecclesiastical History of the People of the Angles. This is the story of how Gregory happened to meet three young slaves from what is now Yorkshire in England at the market in Rome. Having learned that this people had not yet been converted to Christ, Gregory proclaimed that the Angles should become like angels, and was inspired by the idea of ​​​​sending a mission to this people. Firmly deciding to bring the light of Christ to the pagans of England, Gregory asked and received the blessing of the Pope of Rome to undertake this mission himself. Gregory set off with several companions, but did not have time to go far when he was recalled back to Rome: deprived of their beloved abbot, the townspeople threatened to rebel. In these and subsequent years, Saint Gregory devoted a lot of time to writing his works, including sermons on the Gospels, “Commentary on the Book of Job” and a work on pastoral care. Later, around 890, this work was translated into Old English by King Alfred the Great. Another and perhaps the most famous work of Gregory is his “Dialogues” (“Conversations on the life and miracles of the Italian fathers and on the immortality of the soul”), which is a collection of the lives of Italian saints. This extensive work became universally popular in the Church and remains so to this day. The “Dialogues” were translated into Old English by Bishop Werfert of Worcester at the end of the 9th century - such was the love of the ancient English for the works of St. Gregory. The Dialogues were translated into Greek even earlier - by the personal friend of St. Gregory, Patriarch Anastasius II of Antioch in 602. This translation became so popular that in the East St. Gregory is still called “Double Word” (“Interlocutor”). Despite his chronically poor health, Gregory maintained a very extensive correspondence - about 845 letters have survived to this day. The saint also played an extremely important role in the development of the Roman Liturgy - he is credited with the “Sacramentary of Gregory” (this is the book from which the Popes served in the Lateran Basilica and the churches of Rome). The saint also paid considerable attention to church singing - the so-called Gregorian chant is undoubtedly named in his honor, although modern Gregorian chant is very different from what, for example, was sung in the monastery of St. Andrew on the Caelian Hill during the time of the saint. In the Orthodox world, the name of St. Gregory is still associated with the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the composition of which is attributed to this saint. This service is performed in the Orthodox Church during Lent and the first three days of Holy Week. Although it is unlikely that Saint Gregory himself composed this Liturgy, it is certain that he loved this service, which he discovered for himself in Constantinople and introduced into the Roman Church, and the Orthodox Church still remembers it. Saint Gregory also rightly entered church history with his condemnation of the idea of ​​a “universal bishop,” that is, a bishop who somehow dominates all other Orthodox bishops. This providential event happened like this. At that time, the Roman Emperor awarded the Patriarch of Constantinople the title "Ecumenical". Gregory, who did not know Greek, then already the Pope of Rome, thought that this title meant “universal bishop” and condemned him. In fact, this honorary title merely marked “one living in the capital of the inhabited (that is, Roman) world,” in other words, a resident of Constantinople. However, Gregory’s misunderstanding gave rise to an excellent and completely Orthodox theology on the issue of the “primacy” of the Apostle Peter and the role of the senior patriarch in the Church - at that time the Pope was such a patriarch. In his extremely interesting correspondence on this subject, St. Gregory says: “Whoever calls himself a universal bishop or desires this title is, through his pride, the forerunner of the Antichrist, because in this way he tries to exalt himself above others.” Ironically, the same Patriarchate that rejected the idea of ​​universal jurisdiction, 500 years later, under Pope Gregory VII Hildebrand, put this idea into practice. This act, despite 1000 years of history of the universal church tradition, truly split Christianity and divided the West into empire and papacy, and later into Protestantism and Catholicism with countless “religious” wars. But let's return to Grigory Dvoeslov. In 590, Abbot Gregory was unanimously elected Pope against his will. Although the enormous responsibility of serving as the sole patriarch of the Western Empire alarmed Gregory, he did not forget his decision to send missionaries to the inhabitants of distant Britain. In September 595, he wrote a letter to a certain Gaul priest Candide, in which he gave instructions to buy English slaves aged 17–18 years and transfer them to the care of the monastery. Gregory clearly wanted the clergy - natives of the country - to be prepared for this mission. But why did he do this in 595? We may have the answer. The letter may have been a consequence of the visit to Rome in late 594 or early 595 of St. Gregory of Tours. This saint knew that there lived in England a Frankish princess who converted to Christianity, who then married the King of Kent - then still a pagan. It was Bertha, daughter of Charibert I of Paris. She came from a pious family. Bertha's mother, Ingoberg, became a monk after becoming a widow. Bertha's great-grandmother was Saint Chlotilde, and her grandmother was Saint Radegonde. Since the Bishop of Tours personally knew both Ingoberga and Bertha, he most likely told the pope these facts. Gregory acted quickly and thanks to these acts he became known in history as the “apostle of the Angles,” “the one who will present the English people to the Lord at the Last Judgment as their teacher and apostle.” In 596, “by divine inspiration,” Pope Gregory kept his old promise and sent a mission to enlighten the pagans so that the Angles could become like angels. He knew where to look for missionaries. From the monastery of St. Andrew, he took prior (assistant abbot) Augustine, his longtime friend, with whom he had previously been in Constantinople. Together with him, the pope sent 40 more of his familiar monks - shortly before this, Gregory was their abbot and, perhaps, even their spiritual father. He prepared them for the great mission, which became the happiest event of his ministry and, a century and a half later, changed the face of the entire West. Of these 40 monks, we only know the names of the following: the priest Lawrence (the second archbishop of Canterbury after Augustine and a revered saint), the monk Peter (later the holy abbot of the monastery in the name of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Canterbury) and, possibly, the deacon Jacob (who became a famous preacher in York and also a revered saint), and also the choristers John and Honorius (the latter of these became the fifth Archbishop of Canterbury in 627–653 and also glorified as a saint). The fathers left through the Ostian Gate, reached Ostia and, boarding a ship, went to southern Gaul; there they most likely landed at Lerin, the holy island of Gaul. This group of monks set out on their journey to our northern archipelago in the summer of the fourteenth year of the reign of the pious Emperor Mauritius, that is, in the year 596. In one of the chapels of the monastery of St. Andrew, a picture of their departure has been preserved. The fathers left through the Ostian Gate, reached Ostia and, boarding a ship, went to southern Gaul; there they most likely landed at Lerin, the holy island of Gaul. On this island there was a famous monastery where Saint Vincent of Lerins studied; Saint John Cassian was closely associated with this monastery, as were a whole host of lesser-known saints of Gaul. It was a place that absorbed the spirituality of the holy fathers of the Egyptian and Palestinian deserts, from where the monks dispersed throughout the West. Here Saint Patrick of Ireland studied monastic life, and after him Saint Faustus, British by birth, future Bishop of Rieux; Saints Herman of Auxerres and Lupus of Troyes studied here before going to Britain to eradicate the Pelagian heresy that tormented its Church in the 5th century. Thus, Lerin by that time already had a connection with the British Isles. After they were warmly received by Abbot Stephen, the companions moved to the Greek port of Marseille, and then to Aix. It was at this point that many of the monks, some of whom were undoubtedly young and inexperienced, began to lose heart. We do not know the exact reason for this, but perhaps along the way they heard stories about the wild pagan Saxons conquering England. Frightened, they wanted to turn back. So strong was their cowardice that Prior Augustine had to return alone to Rome for the advice and support of his spiritual father Gregory. The Pope supported and encouraged Augustine appropriately. Instead of calling them back, as some of the monks had hoped, Gregory appointed Augustine as their abbot and, in a letter dated July 23, 596, ordered the brethren to obey him as Christ. Convicted and encouraged, the monks continued on their way, under the spiritually and morally strong leadership of St. Augustine. Letters of recommendation were sent from Rome to the bishops and secular rulers of the regions of Gaul through which the brethren were to pass. From that moment on, the monks completely trusted their leader. The presence of Augustine as their leader, his monastic discipline, obedience, zeal and insight, again and again confirmed the significance of their great undertaking. From Aix the fathers went to Arles, Vienne, Lyon - the city of St. Irenaeus and the Lyon martyrs, then to Autun and Tours - to the relics of St. Martin, the Apostle of Gaul. In the 11th-century life of St. Augustine, the chronicler Goscelin says that they also visited Angers and Orleans and that St. Augustine performed his first miracles in Anjou. The Grace of God truly rested on him. From here the fathers proceeded to Metz and Paris, where they spent the winter. In Paris, as in Tours, they were undoubtedly able to gather the necessary information about the situation in the kingdom of Kent. The long, slow journey through Gaul served as preparation and training for them before leaving the mainland and plunging into the unknown. Augustine found translators in the north of Gaul: perhaps they were priests - Franks or Saxons from the large Saxon colonies formed around Boulogne, where place names with English sounds are still preserved. These translators were very useful to Augustine - we must remember that the apostle of the Angles from the very beginning did not know almost a single word of the Saxon language; God's power is made perfect in human weakness. Most researchers agree that the fathers spent Lent and Easter in France, which in 597 fell on April 13. Then, during the Easter period, the travelers set sail from Boulogne and headed towards Kent. How tempting it is to think that they set out just after Easter Sunday - perhaps even on Monday 14 April. In any case, that spring became a true spring for the English people - the flower of their faith was about to bloom over the dead wood of Satanic superstition. They crossed the English Channel in flat-bottomed boats (there were undoubtedly two of them) and passed through Deal (a town in Kent), where other Romans had landed centuries before them, over the chalk cliffs of Dover - and finally came ashore. The place where the missionaries set foot on English soil was the Isle of Thanet, which was then almost completely separated from the island of Britain by the Wantsum, or Stour, river, about 3 furlongs wide (1 furlong is approximately 1/8 of a mile or 201 meters), and only fordable in two places. Most likely, they landed on a sandbank called Ipwin's Fleet, now Ebbsfleet. The Isle of Thanet is called so, apparently, because the Romans installed a lighthouse on it, which shone brightly from afar. The local Celtic population consequently named the place "Thanet", that is, "Bright Island". And Augustine truly had to light a new Roman beacon here, igniting the souls of the Angles with the unfading light of the Savior, the radiance of which enlightened an entire people. Thanet was not only the "bright island" - it was also a call from distant Galilee, coming through Jerusalem, Rome and Constantinople, that all the British Isles should become islands of light, ablaze with the love of God. A chapel was erected at Ebbsfleet. Is it in memory of the momentous landing of Augustine and his companions? Even earlier, in 449, the German leaders Hengist and Horsa landed on this island, which marked the beginning of the German settlement of this former Roman colony. Some speculate that Ebbsfleet is named after one of the war leaders named Ipwin, who was killed upon the arrival of Hengist, Horsa and many other adventurers who came in three boats. Some modern scholars are inclined to believe that the missionaries landed not at Ebbsfleet, but at some distance from it: at the Roman port of Richborough, at Stonar, or somewhere nearby. One way or another, Ebbsfleet, now not separated from Britain by water, is the approximate landing site of the missionaries. In the last century, the people of Ebbsfleet pointed to a single clover field as the exact landing site of the monks. It may well be that the folk tradition passed down from generation to generation is closer to the truth than the guesses of scientists. A chapel was later erected at Ebbsfleet. Is it in memory of the momentous landing? Today Thanet is no longer an island; and the river that previously separated it is nothing more than a ditch overgrown with duckweed, although even in the 16th century, during the Reformation, ships could sail here at high tide. Not only the river here changed its name and shape, but the entire coastline: cliffs were washed away, new sandbanks were formed or old sandbanks were washed away, the sea retreated, dunes, swamps and fields appeared; Geography, like everything in this world, has changed, but the spiritual truth has remained unchanged: it was here that the Christian faith was brought to the English people by monks from Italy, or rather, by the Providence of God. Having landed, Augustine first of all sent translators to the King of Kent, Ethelbert I, the husband of the Christian Bertha, whom we have already mentioned. Ethelbert (in modern English - Albert) and his wife Bertha lived in the ancient Roman city of Durovern, renamed the “city of the Kentese”, that is, “Canterbury”. Æthelbert was the most powerful king among the Germanic settlers at the time, a Bretwald ("Lord of the Britons"). His kingdom, located on the very edge (hence the Celtic name "Kent") of England, was the most advanced and had constant contacts with mainland Europe and the Christian world. Æthelbert was the great-great-grandson of Hengist, the first pagan chieftain to arrive in Britain with Horsa. Ethelbert was still a pagan, although he had been married to a Christian Bertha for 20 years. When Bertha married Ethelbert, a prerequisite was that the royal chaplain Ludhard, the former bishop of Senlis, a small town north of Paris, should come with her to England. In Canterbury she prayed in a former Roman-British chapel which she had restored. As far as we know, at the time of Augustine’s arrival, Saint Ludhard was still alive - indeed, his name is written in the church calendar under May 7, 603 (the year of his repose). It is documented about this chapel that it was founded by a British leader named Lucius in the 2nd century, consecrating it in honor of the Mother of God. Having restored the chapel, Bertha ordered to reconsecrate it in the name of the great lamp of Tours - St. Martin. Bertha and her confessor remained faithful to Christ, but we can assume that they lacked the influence, ability, or support to convert those around them. The time has not yet come. And although Kent had trade ties with the north of France, there were most likely political obstacles. In the Middle Ages, next to Canterbury Cathedral there was a gate known as Queengate, that is, the Queen's Gate. Supposedly, Queen Bertha passed through this gate (now located opposite St. Augustine's Gate) to the Church of St. Martin. It is difficult for us to say to what extent Bertha and St. Ludhard prepared Ethelbert for the adoption of Christianity. But from subsequent events it is obvious that the king by that time was favorably disposed towards the Christian faith, despite his pagan origin and the numerous religious and political pressures under which he was. As the Apostle Paul said: “For an unbelieving husband is sanctified by a believing wife” (1 Cor. 7:14). Having learned from translators about the arrival of missionaries from Rome, Ethelbert was undoubtedly greatly impressed and easily arranged to meet Augustine on the Isle of Thanet. According to legend, this meeting took place under a certain oak tree that grew in the very center of the island. The oak was a sacred tree for pagans of Germanic origin and perhaps a symbol of good luck. According to Bede the Venerable, the meeting took place in an open place because the king feared a conspiracy or witchcraft. Augustine and his monks arrived at the meeting chanting prayers and carrying a silver cross and an icon of the Savior painted in the Roman style. Augustine preached to the king about how Christ the Savior opened the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven for all who believe in Him. Ethelbert was impressed by Augustine's words, as well as by the monks in strange clothes, with a special Christian spirit and symbolism. According to legend, Ethelbert was especially amazed by Augustine himself, who was head and shoulders above everyone else. The king gave a balanced, but not entirely definite answer regarding the Christian faith, but happily granted the monks premises in the capital of the kingdom - Canterbury. Ethelbert himself had not yet decided to become a Christian, but allowed the fathers to freely preach and baptize those who wished. Local tradition says that just before Augustine met Ethelbert, Bertha came to see him. In the church of the town of Minster-in-Thanet one could once see a stone on which, according to legend, St. Augustine talked with the queen. From the Isle of Thanet, Augustine took a ferry to Richborough, which at that time was an island between Thanet and the main island of Britain. There you could see the ruins of the fortifications of the Roman port of Rutupi, the ruins of which have survived even to this day. It was at this place that the king received his fathers - under a rock and a Roman fortress. Later, this land was consecrated by a small chapel that appeared here in the name of St. Augustine, which housed several shrines, among which was a certain stone. Tradition says that when Augustine stepped ashore, his foot stood on a stone on which his foot was marked, as if it were clay. In the Middle Ages this stone was venerated in a chapel in the name of Augustine; although, according to another version, this stone is associated with St. Mildreda, who founded a monastery in the Ministry of Thanet under the leadership of the holy Archbishop of Canterbury Theodore, a Greek by birth. Thanet became an island of wonders, where there were no rats or snakes, and the soil was famous for its special fertility. The saints consecrated these places. Although the stone with the saint's footprint no longer exists, the ruins of St. Augustine's Chapel, located on the north shore of Richborough, can still be seen today. In the center of the town of Richboro, which later became a parish and a place of hermitage, there was a cruciform earthen mound called the "Cross of St. Augustine." It can be assumed that here the monks erected a cross and preached to the local Jutes or Saxons. Richborough is not the only place that St. Augustine, thanks to his presence, made a place of legends and traditions: the Isle of Thanet itself became the place of the special spiritual presence of the saint, an island of miracles, where there were no rats or snakes, and the soil was famous for its special fertility. It was said that the saints sanctified these places, just as they sanctified the entire kingdom of Kent and all of England. Finally, moving from Richborough to the main island of Britain, Augustine felt that the prayers of his spiritual father, St. Gregory, who was in distant Rome, began to bring success to his mission. He was no longer on tiny Thanet, but on the mainland. From this point on he was able to take the old Roman road from Deal and after a few hours' journey on foot he arrived in Canterbury from St Martin's Hill. According to some sources, it was April 25. Holding in their hands a silver cross and an icon of our Savior, reciting a prayer, the monks descended past simple huts and the remains of pagan Rome into the city that was to become the cradle of English Christianity, the English Christian capital. The Sicilian abbot and his monks began the spiritual conquest of Kent, Kent was the key to England, and England (though Augustine did not know it) was the key to all of northern Europe, practically half of the world - the half that the night of the pagan Roman Empire could not conquer. It was an acorn from which an oak tree would grow—a gentle beginning blessed by the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom of Kent was the first among the ancient English kingdoms to accept the Word of God, and after it the other six kingdoms followed until the Church united them all, as only the Church can unite. It is believed that while the monks remained in Canterbury, they lived in buildings located at what is now Stablegate, across Palace Street to the north, where St Alphege's Church stands today. Here the fathers lived according to the Gospel, imitating the apostles in the Acts of the Apostles, teaching by example, praying, fasting and keeping vigils. Many admired the simplicity of their lives; Many miracles took place, and many residents received Holy Baptism. The monks took advantage of Queen Bertha's chapel, located east of the city. Although the present St Martin's Church contains part of the original church's structures and is rightly considered the oldest surviving church in England, it was extensively rebuilt during the Middle Ages. However, it stands here to this day; and how inspiring is the fact that these very stones heard the singing of the Roman monks, they walked here. This place is holy, especially because King Ethelbert received Holy Baptism here. Most researchers believe that the king was baptized at the All-Night Vigil on the Feast of Pentecost, that is, on the evening of Saturday, June 1, 597. In St. Martin's Church there is a font preserved, the upper part of which dates from a later period, and the lower part from a very early period. Most likely, the lower part is the design of the very font in which King Ethelbert was baptized with full immersion, like his wife’s ancestor, the Frankish king Clovis I, 101 years before him. At least that's the ancient tradition in Canterbury. Thus, the king became worthy of his name, meaning “noble and bright”; the king earned himself a Christian name. With the first Christian king came the first statehood and civilization. Even those who are very far from Christianity cannot deny this. The adopted son of an unknown carpenter from the wilderness triumphed over primitive magic and cruel paganism - the leader of the Proto-Germanic tribe came to celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the revelation of the Holy Trinity rested on him in the waters of baptism. And all this was voluntary, in contrast to the forced but unsuccessful conversions of later times, when sword and fire replaced water and spirit. The work of St. Augustine, the achievements of these timid monks, who at first wanted to turn back, coupled with the prayers of St. Gregory, seem to us even more significant as we reflect on these events that transformed the history of these islands. With the first Christian king came the first statehood, the first literature, art, music, architecture, medicine: in a word - civilization. Even those who are very far from Christianity cannot deny this. Soon Abbot Augustine decided that he needed to return to France and receive ordination as a bishop. Saint Gregory also foresaw the obviousness of this (if the mission was successful). While Saints Augustine and Lawrence were the only priests in their community, all the rest were simple monks - this was the usual practice of the time, when monasteries made do with only one or two priests, sufficient for their needs. So, Augustine returned to Gaul - apparently to Arles. Here, the oldest archbishop of Gaul, Virgilius Augustine, was consecrated as the first archbishop of the English people. Many experts put forward the date November 16, 597 as the date of his ordination as bishop, although others indicate September of the same year - which seems more reliable. Then Augustine left Gaul (if he did not stay there), the return journey from Arles took three to four weeks. He returned to the great joy to come, for he soon baptized ten thousand Angles on the feast of the Nativity of Christ in 597! On the feast of the Nativity of Christ in 597, despite the cold, more than 10 thousand Jutes, Saxons and Angles entered the waters two by two and, according to the word of their archbishop, were baptized. This baptism took place in the small River Swale, near the mouth of another river, the Medway, opposite the Isle of Sheppey (“Isle of Sheep”). It was here that the new archpastor entrusted his spiritual flock to Christ, and the residents of Kent became the flock of Christ’s sheep saved in the Church. Despite the cold, more than 10 thousand Jutes, Saxons and Angles entered the waters two by two and, according to the word of their archbishop, were baptized. This mass baptism, which was actually the baptism of the entire kingdom of Kent, was accompanied by miracles and healings. And we should constantly remember that this baptism was completely voluntary. Since King Ethelbert himself wanted baptism to be completely voluntary, many followed the example of their ruler. We see how their hitherto gloomy faces lit up when they emerged from the waters of baptism. On Christmas Day 597, England was born - the first fruits of England ripened in the middle of winter, which was a testament to the future Resurrection. England was rising from the darkness of the ancient dragon and paganism into the bright age of Christianity. The next month, in January 598, Augustine sent the priest Lawrence and the monk Peter back to Rome to Pope Gregory with good news. We know about Gregory's joy. In a letter dated July 598, addressed to his good friend Patriarch Eulogius of Alexandria, Gregory writes about 10 thousand baptized, talking about the conversion of “those living at the ends of the earth.” St. Gregory's play on words seems very appropriate to us, considering that not only is England located, as it were, "at the ends of the earth" from the Roman point of view, but Kent is also located on the edge of England, and Canterbury (and especially the Isle of Thanet and Ebbsfleet) is on the edge of Kent. Probably, the pope had in mind the words of the psalmist: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner: this is from the Lord, and is wonderful in our eyes” (Ps. 118:22-23). In the Old English period, when piety flourished in these islands, the same thing seemed to many outsiders, whether in Rome or distant Egypt. The Angles joined a family called the Church. In another of his works, “Commentary on the Book of Job,” St. Gregory also speaks of the enlightenment of the English: “The lips of Britain now cry: “Hallelujah”... The sea, which was once restless, now rests quietly under the feet of the saints... The grace of knowledge of God has now enlightened them... With all their hearts they now strive for the reward of Eternal Life.” The new archbishop began to restore and build churches for the newly baptized Englishmen. But before that, he had to find the right word to describe the concept of “Church.” The saint decided to use the Greek word “kyriakon”, that is, “house of God”. In Old English it became "churiche" - from which the later forms "kirk" in the north and "kirche" in Germany appeared. First of all, Augustine began to rebuild the ancient Roman-British church, built “long before Augustine.” For Augustine, as a Roman and a Christian, it was quite natural to restore the lost heritage. This church later became Canterbury Cathedral - the main cathedral of the entire English Church. The saint consecrated this church on June 9, 602 or 603 in honor of Christ the Savior. Perhaps Augustine chose this dedication after the example of the Lateran basilica in honor of Christ in Rome. However, there is also an opinion that it was in honor of the icon of the Savior, which Augustine brought with him from Rome or even originally from Constantinople. It was this icon that miraculously protected his mission to the English. This church became known as Christ Church (“Church of Christ”), and although the cathedral church standing on this site today has already been rebuilt, it is still the heir of this church. Augustine built his cathedral, like the rest of his churches in England, following the example of the churches that he knew in Rome; in many ways it resembled the old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome - with an altar in the western part and a crypt. The main entrance was located to the south - this is no longer a Roman feature, but perhaps a feature of the Roman-British church that stood here before Augustine. King Ethelbert granted Augustine the lands around the cathedral, along with the buildings that previously formed the complex of his royal palace. Having helped their archbishop in everything, the newly baptized king and his wife then left Canterbury and moved to live in ancient Roman buildings in Reculver. This place is located on the north side of the Isle of Thanet and at the other end of the River Stour, opposite Ebbsfleet. In the same year 598, Augustine and his monks founded the monastery. This was the birth of the first English monastery, which was dedicated to the great saints of Rome - the supreme apostles Peter and Paul. The monastery was built on the eastern side of the city, behind the ancient city gates. The site became the resting place of the Archbishops of Canterbury and the Christian kings and queens of Kent. Ethelbert assisted the monks "in building from the foundations", but this too was on the site of an earlier Roman structure. The location was next to the Roman road to London, which reminded Augustine of Rome's Appian Way. This monastery church was consecrated only after the repose of St. Augustine by his successor, Archbishop Lawrence, although tradition tells us that the fathers could already asceticize in the new monastery from the beginning of 604. The first abbot of this monastery was monk Peter. He later drowned during a mission to Rome in the Bay of Ambletaise in northern France in 607. There he is commemorated on January 6 to this day. During the time of St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury from 960 to 988, the monastery was reconsecrated in honor of its founder, St. Augustine. The patron saints of the Roman Patriarchate were not forgotten. They became patrons of many English churches and monasteries, but primarily of the two main London basilicas. On the site of the Roman forum (according to some sources, the pagan temple of Diana) in London, a large cathedral temple was built in the east - in honor of St. Paul. In the west, on the site of the former Church of Apollo, a church was built in honor of St. Peter - Westminster. So the patrons of Rome became the patrons of another Rome - Londinia. It must be said that the monastery of St. Andrew on the Caelian Hill was also not forgotten. The Apostle Andrew became the Heavenly Patron of the second English diocese - the See of St. Justus in Rochester. St. Augustine restored another Roman-British temple, which had been used as a pagan temple since the previous century. This church, located exactly between the city and the Church of St. Martin, was consecrated in honor of St. Pancras, a young Greek martyred for Christ in Rome under Diocletian. The church dedicated to this martyr stood on the Caelian Hill and was well known to Augustine and his monks. Perhaps the elevated area near the church of St. Pancras reminded Augustine of the Caelian Hill. The 14-year-old martyr, in a sense, began to symbolize the first fruits of the English people, of which 10 thousand people simultaneously received baptism and thereby dedicated themselves to Christ. It was said that during the first service in the newly consecrated Church of Pankratius, the devil tried to harm the church, angry that his power there had ended. So Satan left his claw marks on the stone of one of the walls, and local residents until recently pointed to this stone with the marks of animal claws as evidence of this ancient tradition. England was thus freed "from the power of Satan," as the Venerable Bede said. Soon after the death of St. Augustine, another church was erected in Canterbury, dedicated to the four crowned martyrs. There is also a Roman basilica dedicated to them on the Caelian Hill. It is clear that at the beginning of the 7th century the spiritual geography of Rome was repeated in the “little Rome” - Canterbury. The monastic services must have made an indelible impression on the newly baptized peasants. Italian clergymen with dark hair (many of them, like St. Augustine, were Sicilians) and trimmed beards, in accordance with the custom of that time, forever amazed the northern Jutes, Saxons and Angles, who had just come from paganism into a Christian family. The laity received communion under both types, as the Gospel commands. Children also often received communion, as evidenced by the documents of the Church Council in Klovsho in 746. The liturgy began with proskomedia, or the offering of gifts, when the people offered bread, and later, when this became possible, also wine and oil, which the clergy collected in a basket. As the priests put on their white long linen dalmatics, a psalm was sung, followed by prayers and readings, and an entrance with an antiphon, or hymn, sung after each verse. Then, in accordance with the old Roman Liturgy, the deacon chanted “Kyrie eleison” - “Lord, have mercy.” Next, troparia were sung, or, in other words, hymns of the day, and after them excerpts from the letters of the apostles for that day were read. At this moment, the clergy came out in procession from the altar to the people to read the Gospel. Everyone bowed their heads before the Gospel and venerated it as if it were Christ Himself. The priests with candles and incense read the psalm and at the same time went to the pulpit, from which the Gospel was read. The believers stood (seating in the church became an innovation of the late Middle Ages) and listened, waiting for an explanation of the passage read. Immediately after the reading, the priest explained the Gospel in a language understandable to the people. Then followed the Eucharistic Prayer and the consecration of gifts, the reading of the canon, the consecration of the holy offering through the descent of the Holy Spirit on it, its transubstantiation into the Body and Blood of Christ. Then Communion began. The laity received communion under both types, as the Gospel commands. Children also often received communion, as evidenced by the documents of the Church Council in Klovsho in 746. There is no doubt that at that time there was no musical accompaniment to church services other than the human voice. For several centuries the Liturgy was served approximately in this way, and only then gradual changes began. The old Gregorian chant, with its lively, melodious rhythm, began to change as organs were gradually introduced into use from the Middle Ages; deacons disappeared in the Middle Ages, and at that time communion began to be served to the laity in only one form, and the bread used was no longer made from yeast dough. As confirmation (confirmation) moved further and further away from baptism, children and infants could no longer receive communion at all. The ecclesiastical preference for unmarried clergy became officially practically compulsory celibacy in the late 11th century under Pope Hildebrand. Meanwhile, Rome was constantly informed about developments in affairs. As we have already said, at the beginning of 598 Augustine sent Lawrence and Peter to St. Gregory in Rome. We do not know for sure whether they returned quickly and were almost immediately sent back to Rome (which seems more likely) or whether they spent the entire period of time in Rome; but what is certain is that both reappeared in England in 601 with news and reinforcements. First of all, St. Augustine received his archbishop's pallium (an element of liturgical vestment; the equivalent in Eastern Orthodoxy is the omophorion) - a sign of papal blessing. It was brought to the saint by new missionaries, of whom there were twelve in number. They were led by Abbot Mellitus, a friend of Gregory, who later became Archbishop of Canterbury. Among others were Peacock - the first Bishop of York, Just - who also became Archbishop of Canterbury, Rufinian - the future abbot of the monastery in the name of Saints Peter and Paul, and also, possibly, Roman - the future Bishop of Rochester. Mellitus, Paulinus and Justus were later canonized. They brought with them sacred vessels, vestments, relics of the holy apostles and martyrs, and numerous books. Among the relics they brought were a piece of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, the hair of the Mother of God, a piece of the vine of Jesse and a piece of the unstitched tunic of Christ. From the books they brought, we know of eight manuscripts that existed at the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, dating from this time. Unfortunately, due to the barbarism of that period, five manuscripts were irretrievably lost, and after them, at the end of the 17th century, one of the Gospels was lost, so we do not know for sure whether these were the books brought by Abbot Mellitus and his companions. However, two manuscripts have survived to this day. One of them, a majestic ancient Gospel, dates back to the mid-7th century and is kept in Oxford. Another pearl, kept in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, known as the Gospel of St. Augustine, certainly dates back to the time of the holy abbot Mellitus and was most likely brought by him. This is the only surviving specimen; it is the cradle of English literature, which began with the word of God, sown in the pagan north and bearing enormous fruit throughout the following centuries. A whole batch of letters from St. Gregory to his “friend-bishop” Augustine and many other figures date back to that time and have survived to this day. The Venerable Bede recorded the pope's famous answers to a series of questions by Augustine. These issues were mainly of a liturgical, pastoral and ritual nature. Most scientists consider them to be authentic. In any case, they give us a very interesting picture of the missionary situation facing Augustine, and show the wisdom of Gregory in advising Augustine from afar. The pope also wrote three letters dating from June 601. One of them was sent to the Bishop of Arles with a request to help Augustine in his labors. The second letter is addressed to Augustine - in it the pope recommends dividing England into 24 dioceses with two metropolises in London and York. As we know, the See of Canterbury was never transferred to London in its entire history; London was not a royal seat for many centuries to come, and tradition and sanctity were too important at the time to permit such a transfer of the diocese. Ironically, 24 dioceses in England appeared only under Henry VIII, who effectively destroyed the Church. The third letter contained advice to Abbot Mellitus in his collaboration with Augustine. The letter, along with the gifts, was given to King Ethelbert. Pope Gregory compared the king to Constantine. Three more letters followed. One of them, addressed to Augustine, contained a warning about the danger of falling into pride due to the success of the saint’s mission and the miracles he performed. And, indeed, some of the saint’s recorded miracles date back to this time, one of which was the healing of a mute girl in the village of Chilham in Kent. These miracles definitely came to the attention of Gregory. As a spiritual father, Gregory warned the archbishop that the miracles he performed could not be attributed to his own exploits or virtues, but only to the grace of God; The Lord used Augustine as an instrument through which the Holy Spirit worked to save many. The second letter, along with gifts, was given to King Ethelbert. Pope Gregory compared the king to Constantine and entrusted him to the care of Augustine, “a man of holy life.” The letter was dated 22 June, like the third letter addressed to Queen Bertha, although it was dated only in the month without a date. Here the pope rejoiced that the light of Christ had finally reached the lands of Britain. Gregory declared that Bertha was the Helen of the new Constantine (as he called Ethelbert), the mother of his faith. According to the pope, this news reached Constantinople and even the attention of the “most serene emperor.” King Ethelbert and Queen Bertha may seem to have imitated Constantine. After handing over Canterbury to the Church, they moved to Reculver, where they built a new palace. Reculver was their New Rome, just as pagan Byzantium before that became a Christian city - New Rome, Constantinople. Canterbury, the Old Rome of England, was given to the Italian Metropolitan Augustine. However, King Æthelbert symbolically left his Royal Mint in "Old Rome" (Canterbury) - but only symbolically, since it was his treasury in a spiritual and material sense. The coins he minted bore the image of Romulus and Remus with a she-wolf on the Capitol. Thus Ethelbert entered the “romanitas” - the world of Roman Christianity, becoming one of the many kings who swore allegiance, albeit purely formally, to the emperor in New Rome and the system of Christian civilization, whose unity is based on the Church, the Head of which was and remains our Lord Jesus Christ. One Lord, one Church, one Christian empire: this was the reality of that time, no matter how enormous the difficulties and differences in culture, mentality, ethnic origin and ritual. As long as the Church remained united, this civilization was also united. As for the Roman fortifications at Reculver, Ethelbert used them to build a palace and then a church in the name of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God in this New Rome. The ruins of this church can still be seen here today, despite the approaching sea and the vandalism of the early 19th century. It is believed that before King James I (reigned 1603–1625), there was a name plaque in this church indicating the burial place of Ethelbert. However, this contradicts the Monk Bede, who claimed that the holy king rested in the church in the name of the apostles Peter and Paul. In the Middle Ages, a miraculous appearance of Ethelbert was recorded in this church: he appeared to the priest assigned to watch over his shrine and reproached him for his negligence. Queen Bertha was also buried here, and the relics of her confessor St. Ludgard were kept here in a golden reliquary during the Middle Ages. On the day of his memory, a religious procession was held with the relics. Archbishop Augustine was buried in the same monastery church, and, according to Bede, one of the altars was dedicated to St. Pope Gregory, where the priest served every Saturday in memory of them. This continued until the Council of Klovsho in 747, when their holiness was officially recognized and confirmed. Of the children of Saint Ethelbert and Bertha, Eadbald became king of Kent after his father. Since Eadbald was already an adult when Augustine arrived, he could choose whether to remain a pagan or become a Christian - his father insisted that conversion to Christ should always be voluntary. Eadbald decided to remain a pagan, and after his accession to the throne in 616, the fate of Augustine's entire mission was in a highly uncertain state for several weeks or even months. Fortunately, he was soon converted to Christ through the miraculous intervention of the Apostle Peter and the testimony of Archbishop Lawrence, and soon became a zealous Christian. The daughter of the King and Queen of Kent, Ethelburgh, was baptized almost immediately, perhaps under the influence of her mother Bertha. She subsequently became a saint and made a great contribution to the education of the north of England. Ethelburga married King Edwin of Northumbria, who, under her influence, also received baptism and achieved holiness. Having been widowed, Ethelburga founded a convent at Lyminge in Kent, where she lived until the end of her days as its abbess, reposing in 647. Having established the Church in Kent, Archbishop Augustine began to look further - beyond its borders. In particular he wished to establish cooperation with the British bishops in the west of England and Wales for a more effective evangelization of the entire island. In 602 or early 603, Augustine had two meetings with them. The venue was called "Augustine's Oak", which various traditions identify with the village of Aust in Gloucestershire, the town of Malmesbury in Wiltshire and the area of ​​Worcestershire. We will never know its exact location, but we can certainly say that it was on the Severn River or very close to it. His meetings with the British bishops were, unfortunately, almost inconclusive. It seems that the national pride of the Britons was so deeply wounded by the Anglo-Saxon conquest that they rejected any idea of ​​\u200b\u200bconverting the conquerors to Christianity. To complicate matters further, British Christianity had been isolated from mainstream Christianity for several generations. During this time there was no development and they adapted their faith to the tribal system and organization they supported in their society. Thus, outdated and even incorrect practices were reasons for national pride for them. The Gospel of Christ was obscured by ethnic traditions. The bitterness felt as a result of the Anglo-Saxon conquests gave rise to a sectarian "besieged" mentality, dependent on cultural practices rather than on a universal Christian tradition. And it was a great mistake of the Normans that they decided to maintain the unity of the country by violence, and not by the methods by which Saints Theodore and Cuthbert achieved it. The Italian missionaries, along with their English neophytes, were left alone for a time to educate the rest of England. Indeed, only after about 60 years the wounds began to heal, and St. Theodore of Canterbury was able to establish a strong relationship between the two peoples. The task of forming an Anglo-Celtic kingdom was perfectly realized by the “neutral” Greek Saint Theodore and the personal holiness of a whole host of selfless Anglo-Saxon and Celtic spiritual fathers and mothers. The greatest of these was perhaps St. Cuthbert, “the miracle worker of all Britain,” a symbol of living Anglo-Celtic unity. And it was a great mistake of the Normans and the Tudors who came later that they decided to maintain this unity with the help of castles and violence, and not by the methods by which Saints Theodore and Cuthbert achieved it. The present problems in Ireland, and the nationalist sentiments in Wales and Scotland, are the fruits of their foolish cruelty. Later authors say that in the last years of his brief but successful episcopal ministry, Augustine undertook several trips around the island. We read of his barefoot missionary journeys on foot as far as Ely and even as far north as Yorkshire, and of his visits to Oxford, which was then a village, and to Stroud in Gloucestershire. Here, according to legend, the local inhabitants were not friendly with Augustine. The testimony of a miracle performed by St. Augustine in the village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset dates back to that time. Here, as seven years before in Anjou, a holy spring began to flow and healings began to take place. It is believed that the Savior Himself appeared to Augustine shortly before he was to leave the earthly world. As for Augustine's missions to York and Oxford, we believe that local traditions confuse Augustine with Peacock at York and Birinus at Oxford. And this point is very important, because if there had not been St. Augustine, there would have been neither Peacock in the north, nor Birinus, the apostle of the west. Popular tradition seems to have attributed the miracles of local saints to their spiritual father, the Father of the English Church. What could be better than such praise! If Saints Paulinus and Birinus can be said to be Augustine's spiritual children, then the same can be said of every Christian in England to this day. And at a distance from Augustine stands the “cosmopolitan” Great Gregory, uniting different worlds in a single Christian Church: the current divisions came later, after the intervention of the kingdoms of this world in the affairs of God. Archbishop Augustine reposed in the Lord on May 26, probably in the year 604 (according to other versions - 605 or 610). If this date is correct, then it turns out that he lived in England for only seven years and died only ten weeks after his beloved Abba Gregory. Both then began to be revered as saints of God, both began to bear the title “Apostle of the Angles.” They both laid a strong foundation not only for the English Church, but also for the English nation. Before us now stands the following picture: Augustine with gray hair, in majestic vestments, a head taller than everyone standing around him, holding an icon of our Savior in one hand and blessing the entire English people with a silver cross in the other hand. Around him stand 40 monks - his monastery and spiritual children, and a little further - 10 thousand newly baptized, symbolizing the baptism of England in the waters of the River Swale. In that corner of England, he built houses of God - churches and established holy monasteries - monastic centers. From these spiritual cities his monks then went out to preach, baptize and bring the Light of Christ to the hearts and minds of the English. St. Augustine, or Austin as he was later affectionately known, brought the vine to Kent, and the monks cultivated the Kentish vineyard. Here they established what was later called the English garden, with its barley, hops and apples. It was a true garden, but different from an ordinary garden - a garden of true wine, a garden of true faith, reminding us of another garden - Eden, which Adam knew about, and now it is a call to the Kingdom of Heaven. Saint Augustine is the patron and protector of Kent and the entire English land. Through his works as Equal-to-the-Apostles, through the works of his spiritual father Pope Gregory and their spiritual children, through whom faith came here, the inhabitants of Britain came to know the true God. The fruits of their labors are our spiritual heritage, which we neglect and thus expose ourselves to danger, for our people have lived to these days only because there are still grains of this heritage left in us, which still feed us. And the one who destroys this inheritance in his soul destroys the foundation of the house, and as a result the whole house will fall. Saints Gregory the Great and Augustine of Canterbury, pray to God for us! Archpriest Andrey Phillips Translated from English by Dmitry Lapa Translated by: Andrew Phillips, fr. Orthodox Christianity and Old English Church.