Saint Anselm of Canterbury
Also known as
- Anselm of Aosta
- Anselmo d’Aosta
- Anselmo of Canterbury
- Doctor of Scholasticism
Profile
Born to the Italian nobility. After a childhood devoted to piety and study, at age 15 Anselm wanted to enter religious life, but his father Gondulf prevented it, and Anselm became rather worldly for several years. Upon the death of his mother, Ermenberge, Anselm argued with his father, fled to France in 1056, and became a Benedictine monk at Bec, Normandy in 1060. He studied under and succeeded Lanfranc as prior of the house in 1063. Abbot of the house in 1078.
Because of the physical closeness and political connections, there was frequent travel and communication between Normandy and England, and Anselm was in repeated contact with Church officials in England. He was chosen as reluctant Archbishop of Canterbury, England in 1092; officials had to wait until he too sick to argue in order to get him to agree.
As bishop he fought King William Rufus’s encroachment on ecclesiastical rights and the independence of the Church, refused to pay bribes to take over as bishop, and was exiled for his efforts. He travelled to Rome, Italy and spent part of his exile as an advisor to Pope Blessed Urban II, obtaining the pope‘s support for returning to England and conducting Church business without the king‘s interference. He resolved theological doubts of the Italo-Greek bishops at Council of Bari in 1098.
In 1100 King Henry II invited Anselm to return to England, but they disputed over lay investiture, and Anselm was exiled again only to return in 1106 when Henry agreed not to interfere with the selection of Church officials. Anselm opposed slavery, and obtained English legislation prohibiting the sale of men. He strongly supported celibate clergy, and approved the addition of several saints to the liturgical calendar of England.
Anselm was one of the great philosophers and theologians of the middle ages, and a noted theological writer. He was far more at home in the monastery than in political circles, but still managed to improve the position of the Church in England. Counsellor to Pope Gregory VII. Chosen a Doctor of the Church in 1720 by Pope Clement XI.
Born
- Holy Wednesday 21 April 1109 at Canterbury, England
- body believed to be in the cathedral church at Canterbury
- 1492 by Pope Alexander IV
- Benedictine monk admonishing an evil-doer
- archbishop
- performing an exorcism on a monk
- ship
- with Our Lady appearing before him
- with a ship
Additional Information
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Catholic Encyclopedia, by W H Kent
- Communium Rerum, by Pope Pius X
- Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
- New Catholic Dictionary
- Pictorial Lives of the Saints
- books
- Anselm – The Joy of Faith, by William M Shannon
- Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
- other sites in english
- American Catholic
- Anselm’s Monologium, by R J Kilcullen
- Anselm’s Proof, by Gyula Klima
- Anselm’s Proslogion, by R J Kilcullen
- Brittania Biographies
- Catholic Forum
- Catholic News Agency
- Catholic Online
- Christian Biographies, by James Keifer
- CRadio - audio
- Garth Kemerling
- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Jaspar Hopkins: translations of works
- Katherine Rabenstein
- Kirken i Norge
- Lives of the Saints, by John J Crawley
- Medieval Source Book
- Prayer to Saint Mary Magdalene
- Saints Stories for All Ages
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- The Window
- uCatholic
- Wikipedia