Britain of
Aristobulus of Britannia According to medieval traditions, Christianity arrived in Britain in the
1st century.
Gildas's 6th-century
account dated its arrival to the latter part of the reign of the
Roman emperor Tiberius; an account of the
seventy disciples discovered at
Mount Athos in 1854 lists
Aristobulus as "bishop of
Britain". Medieval accounts of
King Lucius,
Fagan and
Deruvian, and
Joseph of Arimathea, however, are now usually accounted as
pious frauds. The earliest certain historical evidence of Christianity among the
Britons is found in the writings of such early Christian Fathers as
Tertullian and
Origen in the first years of the
3rd century, although the first Christian communities probably were established at least some decades earlier. († 1259) Initially, Christianity was but one of a number of religions: in addition to the native and syncretic local forms of paganism,
Roman legionaries and immigrants introduced other cults such as
Mithraism. At various times, the Christians risked
persecution, although the earliest known
Christian martyrs in Britain –
Saint Alban and "
Amphibalus" – probably lived in the early 4th century.
Julius and Aaron, citizens of
Caerleon, were said to have been martyred during the
Diocletianic Persecution, although there is no textual or archaeological evidence to support the
folk etymology of
Lichfield as deriving from another thousand martyrs during the same years.
Christianization intensified with the legalisation of the Christian religion under
Constantine the Great in the early 4th century and its promotion by subsequent Christian emperors. Three
Romano-British bishops, including
Archbishop Restitutus of
London, are known to have been present at the
Synod of Arles in 314. Others attended the
Council of Serdica in 347 and the
Council of Ariminum in 360. A number of references to the church in Roman Britain are also found in the writings of
4th-century Christian fathers. Britain was the home of
Pelagius, who opposed
Augustine of Hippo's doctrine of
original sin;
St Germanus was said to have visited the island in part to oppose the bishops who advocated
his heresy. Around 367, the
Great Conspiracy saw the troops along
Hadrian's Wall mutiny, allowing the
Picts to overrun the northern areas of Roman Britain (in some cases joining in), in concert with
Irish and
Saxon attacks on the coast. The Roman provinces seem to have been retaken by
Theodosius the Elder the next year, but many
Romano-Britons had already been killed or taken as slaves. In 407,
Constantine III declared himself "emperor of the West" and
withdrew his legions to
Gaul. The
Byzantine historian
Zosimus () stated that Constantine's neglect of the area's defence against Irish and
Saxon raids and invasions caused the Britons and
Gauls to fully revolt from the
Roman Empire, rejecting
Roman law and reverting to
their native customs. In any case, Roman authority was greatly weakened following the
Visigoths'
sack of Rome in 410. Medieval legend attributed widespread
Saxon immigration to
mercenaries hired by the British king
Vortigern. The Saxon communities followed
a form of Germanic paganism, driving Christian Britons back to
Wales,
Cornwall, and
Brittany or subjugating them under kingdoms with no formal church presence. at the gate of
Bridei I's fortress'', book illustration by
Joseph Ratcliffe Skelton (1906)
Fifth and sixth century Britain, although poorly attested, saw the
Age of Saints among the Welsh.
Saint Dubric,
Saint Illtud, and others first completed the
Christianization of Wales.
Saint Dubricius (also known as Dyfrig), who had been bishop at the
Roman British settlement of
Ariconium (in present-day
Herefordshire) in the mid-fifth century, founded a monastery at nearby
Hentland. He ordained
Samson of Dol, who went on to evangelize Brittany. Unwilling or unable to
missionize among the Saxons in England, Briton refugees and missionaries such as
Saint Patrick and
Finnian of Clonard were then responsible for the
Christianization of Ireland and made up the
Seven Founder Saints of Brittany. The Irish in turn made Christians of the Picts and English.
Saint Columba then began the conversion of the
Dál Riata and the other peoples of
Scotland, although native saints such as
Mungo also arose. The history of
Christianity in Cornwall is more obscure, but the native church seems to have been greatly strengthened by Welsh and Irish missionaries such as Saints
Petroc,
Piran, and
Breaca. Extreme weather (as
around 535) and the attendant famines and disease, particularly the arrival of the
Plague of Justinian in Wales around 547 and Ireland around 548, may have contributed to these missionary efforts. There is also evidence for the continuation of Christianity in south and east Britain after the
Anglo-Saxon settlement, for example with an active
shrine to Saint Alban. There are references in Anglo-Saxon poetry, including
Beowulf, that show some interaction between pagan and Christian practices and values. While there is little scholarly focus on this subject, there is enough evidence from Gildas and elsewhere that it is safe to assume some continuing – perhaps more free – form of Christianity survived. Richard Whinder states "(The Church's pre-Augustine) characteristics place it in continuity with the rest of the Christian Church in Europe at that time and, indeed, in continuity with the Catholic faith ... today." The title of "
saint" was used quite broadly by British, Irish, and English Christians. Extreme cases are Irish accounts of
Gerald of Mayo's presiding over 3,300 saints and Welsh claims that
Bardsey Island held the remains of 20,000. More often, the title was given to the founder of any ecclesiastical settlement, which would thenceforth be known as their
llan. Such communities were organized on tribal models: founding saints were almost invariably lesser members of local dynasties, they were not infrequently married, and their successors were often chosen from among their kin. By some estimates, these traditions produced over 800
pre-congregational saints that were venerated locally in Wales, but invasions by
Saxons, Irishmen,
Vikings,
Normans, and others destroyed many ecclesiastical records. Similarly, the distance from Rome, hostility to native practices and cults, and relative unimportance of the local sees has left only two local Welsh saints in the
General Roman Calendar: Saints
David and
Winifred. Insular Christianity developed distinct traditions and practices, most pointedly concerning the
computus of
Easter, as it produced the most obvious signs of disunity: the old and new methods did not usually agree, causing Christians following one system to begin celebrating the feast of the
Resurrection while others continued to solemnly observe
Lent.
Monasticism spread widely; the
Llandaff Charters record over fifty religious foundations in southeast Wales alone. Although the
clasau were rather modest affairs, great
monasteries and
monastic schools also developed at
Llantwit Major (''''),
Bangor, and
Iona. The
tonsure differed from that elsewhere and also became a point of contention. A distinction that became increasingly important was the nature of church organisation: some monasteries were led by married clergy, inheritance of religious offices was common (in Wales, as late as the 12th century), and illegitimacy was treated much more leniently with fathers simply needing to acknowledge the child for him to inherit an equal share with his brothers. Prior to their conquest by England, most churches have records of bishops and priests but not an established
parish system. Pre-conquest, most Christians would not attend regular services but relied on members of the monastic communities who would occasionally make preaching tours through the area.
Bardsey Island has been an important religious site since the 6th century, when
Saint Cadfan founded a monastery there. In medieval times it was a major centre of pilgrimage. The saints seem often to have emerged from native tribal traditions. They were frequently from community nobility, but inspired by the
Desert Fathers, they renounced the privileges of such positions to live remote, secluded, monastic lives. Their identity would emerge separately from the base established in England by
Saint Augustine in 597 AD. Bede relates that the bishops particularly consulted a hermit on how to respond. He told them to respond based on Augustine's conduct: were he to rise to greet them, they would know him for a humble servant of Christ and should submit to his authority but, were he to remain seated, they would know him to be arrogant and prideful and should reject him. As it happened, Augustine did keep his seat, provoking mistrust. In the negotiations that followed, he offered to allow the Britons to maintain all their native customs but three: they should adopt Rome's more advanced method of calculating the date of Easter, reform their baptismal ritual, and join the missionary efforts among the Saxons. The British clerics rejected all of these, as well as Augustine's authority over them. The death of hundreds of British clerics to the pagan king
Æthelfrith of the
Kingdom of Northumbria around 616 at the
Battle of Chester was taken by Bede as fulfillment of the prophecy made by Augustine of Canterbury following the Synod of Chester. The prophecy stated that the British church would receive war and death from the Saxons if they refused to proselytise. Despite the inaccuracies of their system, the Britons did not adopt the Roman and Saxon until induced to do so around 768 by "
Archbishop"
Elfodd of "Gwynedd". The Norman invasion of Wales finally brought Welsh dioceses under
England's control. The development of legends about the mission of Fagan and Deruvian and
Philip the Apostle's dispatch of Joseph of Arimathea in part aimed to preserve the priority and authority of the native establishments at
St David's,
Llandaff, and
Glastonbury. It was not until the death of
Bishop Bernard () that St Davids finally abandoned its claims to metropolitan status and submitted to the
Province of Canterbury, by which point the popularity of
Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical
Historia Regum Britanniae had begun spreading these inventions further afield. Such ideas were used by mediaeval anti-Roman movements such as the
Lollards and followers of
John Wycliffe, as well as by English Catholics during the
English Reformation. The legend that Jesus himself visited Britain is referred to in
William Blake's 1804 poem "
And did those feet in ancient time". The words of Blake's poem were set to music in 1916 by
Hubert Parry as the well-known song "Jerusalem".
Scotland as intercessor from
Book of Hours of the Virgin and Saint Ninian (15th century) According to Bede,
Saint Ninian was born about 360 in what is present day Galloway, the son of a chief of the Novantae, apparently a Christian. He studied under
Martin of Tours before returning to his own land about 397. He established himself at
Whithorn where he built a church of stone, "Candida Casa". Tradition holds that Ninian established an episcopal see at the Candida Casa in Whithorn, and named the see for Saint Martin of Tours. He converted the southern Picts to Christianity, and died around 432. Many Irish saints trained at the "Candida Casa", such as
Tigernach of Clones,
Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, and
Finnian of Movilla. Ninian's work was carried on by Palladius, who left Ireland to work among the Picts. The mission to the southern Picts apparently met with some setbacks, as Patrick charged Coroticus and the "apostate Picts" with conducting raids on the Irish coast and seizing Christians as slaves.
Ternan and
Saint Serf followed Palladius. Serf was the teacher of Saint Mungo, the apostle of Strathclyde, and patron saint of Glasgow.
Cornwall and West Devon A Welshman of noble birth, Saint Petroc was educated in Ireland. He set out in a small boat with a few followers. In a type of
peregrinatio, they let God determine their course. The winds and tides brought them to the Padstow estuary.
Kevin of Glendalough was a student of Petroc.
Saint Endelienta was the daughter of the Welsh king
Brychan. She also travelled to Cornwall – that is ancient
Dumnonia – to evangelize the locals as did
St Nonna mother of
St David who travelled on to Brittany. Her brother
Nectan of Hartland worked in Devon. Saint Piran is the patron saint of tin miners. An Irishman,
Ciaran, he is said to have 'floated' across to Cornwall after being thrown into the sea tied to a millstone. He has been identified on occasion with
Ciarán of Saigir.
Ireland By the early fifth century, the religion had spread to Ireland, which had never been part of the Roman Empire. There were Christians in Ireland before
Palladius arrived in 431 as the first missionary bishop sent by Rome. His mission does not seem to have been entirely successful. The subsequent mission of Saint Patrick, traditionally starting in 432, established churches in conjunction with
civitates like his own in
Armagh; small enclosures in which groups of Christians, often of both sexes and including the married, lived together, served in various roles and ministered to the local population. Patrick set up diocesan structures with a hierarchy of bishops, priests, and deacons. During the late 5th and 6th centuries true monasteries became the most important centres: in Patrick's own see of Armagh the change seems to have happened before the end of the 5th century, thereafter the bishop was the abbot also. Within a few generations of the arrival of the first missionaries the monastic and clerical class of the isle had become fully integrated with the culture of Latin letters. Besides Latin, Irish ecclesiastics developed a written form of
Old Irish. Others who influenced the development of Christianity in Ireland include
Brigid ( 451 – 525), Saint
Moluag ( 510 – 592, who evangelised in the area of present-day Scotland) and Saint
Caillín (fl. ). ==Universal practice==