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Aldhelm
abbot of Malmesbury Abbey, bishop of Sherborne, Latin poet
SaintResearchedKingdom of WessexBenedictinesPre-congregation
Feast: 25 May (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
639
verified
Died
709
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Aldhelm, a kinsman of King Ine of Wessex, was educated at Malmesbury under the Irish teacher Maildubh and later under Abbot Adrian at Canterbury.
He became Abbot of Malmesbury and Bishop of Sherborne, and was a Latin poet and church writer, one of the earliest English men of letters. He died in 709.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A scholar-bishop who served the faith of Wessex with his learning.
Connected on this site
- Adrian of Canterbury Saint Teacher
- Máel Dub Saint Teacher
- Theodore of Tarsus Saint Teacher
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Aldhelm
- Wikidata Q709718 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Aldhelm (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.