Saint Boniface (Latin: Bonifacius; c. 672 – June 5, 754), the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid, Wynfrith, or Wynfryth possibly at Crediton in the kingdom of Wessex (now in Devon, England), 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.
He was killed in Frisia in 754. His tomb is in the crypt of Fulda Cathedral. The date of his can...
more
Saint Boniface (Latin: Bonifacius; c. 672 – June 5, 754), the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid, Wynfrith, or Wynfryth possibly at Crediton in the kingdom of Wessex (now in Devon, England), 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.
He was killed in Frisia in 754. His tomb is in the crypt of Fulda Cathedral. The date of his canonization is unknown.
The earliest "Life" of Boniface, written by Willibald around 765, does not mention his place of birth but that at an early age he attended a monastery at Examchester. The "life" written by Otloh of St. Emmeram in the 10th century says that his birth was at Crediton, but it is not clear on what basis this was.
Winfrid was of a respected and prosperous family. It was somewhat against his father's wishes that he devoted himself at an early age to the monastic life. He received his theological training in the Benedictine...
less