Many martyrs - 1000th anniversary
Sep. 20th, 2011 08:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anglomedvedIn the Othodox Synaxarion of British Saints, published in 1999 by the Coptic Church, and an excellent guide, today is marked as 'Many Martyrs' - with the date 1011, which means exactly one thousand years ago today.
To quote "In this year Kent was savagely attacked by the Danes, Canterbury was destroyed by fire, the Minster Abbey and other places totally destroyed. In a period of 21 days it has been suggested that more than 800 Christians perished, martyred at the hands of the Danes".
(Kent is the south-easternmost county of England.)
I checked on the web to see whether this is being comemorated. Yes, the Canterbury tourist authorities have God hold of it http://www.canterbury.co.uk/Vikings-Celebration.aspx, though their Vikings look a little unconvincing!
And yes, there is a Eucharist, on 29 September (St Michael's day in the western calendar) in memory of St Alphege, the archbishop of Canterbury who was captured and later martyred (19 April 1012) when he refused to let himself be ransomed for what was then a huge sum of money.
St Alphege is also pretty much the last martyr in English church history (other perhaps St Thomas of Canterbury in 1170) and a few missionary bishops in the 19th century.
May St Alphege and these unnamed martyrs continue to pray for us.
To quote "In this year Kent was savagely attacked by the Danes, Canterbury was destroyed by fire, the Minster Abbey and other places totally destroyed. In a period of 21 days it has been suggested that more than 800 Christians perished, martyred at the hands of the Danes".
(Kent is the south-easternmost county of England.)
I checked on the web to see whether this is being comemorated. Yes, the Canterbury tourist authorities have God hold of it http://www.canterbury.co.uk/Vikings-Celebration.aspx, though their Vikings look a little unconvincing!
And yes, there is a Eucharist, on 29 September (St Michael's day in the western calendar) in memory of St Alphege, the archbishop of Canterbury who was captured and later martyred (19 April 1012) when he refused to let himself be ransomed for what was then a huge sum of money.
St Alphege is also pretty much the last martyr in English church history (other perhaps St Thomas of Canterbury in 1170) and a few missionary bishops in the 19th century.
May St Alphege and these unnamed martyrs continue to pray for us.
