Saint Richard of Chichester
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Saint Richard of Chichester |
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|---|---|
| Bishop of Chichester | |
A wall painting of St. Richard of Chichester
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| Installed | 1244 |
| Term ended | 1253 |
| Predecessor | Robert Passelewe |
| Successor | John Climping |
| Other posts | Vicar of Deal |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Richard |
| Born |
c. 1197 Droitwich, Worcestershire, England |
| Died | 3 April 1253 Dover, Kent, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | 3 April (Roman Catholic Church and some provinces of the Anglican Communion), 16 June (in some provinces of the Anglican Communion) |
| Canonized | 25 January 1262 Viterbo, Lazio, Papal States by Pope Urban IV |
| Attributes | Bishop with a chalice on its side at his feet because he once dropped the chalice during a Mass and nothing spilled from it; kneeling with the chalice before him; ploughing his brother's fields; a bishop blessing his flock with a chalice nearby |
| Patronage | Coachmen; Diocese of Chichester; Sussex, England |
Richard of Chichester (1197 – 3 April 1253), also known as Richard de Wych, is a saint (canonized 1262) who was Bishop of Chichester.
In Chichester Cathedral a shrine dedicated to Richard had become a richly decorated centre of pilgrimage. In 1538, during the reign of Henry VIII, the shrine was plundered and destroyed by order of Thomas Cromwell.
St Richard of Chichester is patron saint of Sussex in southern England; since 2007, his translated saint's day of 16 June has been celebrated as Sussex Day.
Richard was born in Burford, near the town of Wyche (modern Droitwich, Worcestershire) and was an orphan member of a gentry family. On the death of their parents Richard's elder brother was heir to the estates but he was not old enough to inherit, so the lands were subject to a feudal wardship. On coming of age his brother took possession of his lands, but was required to pay a medieval form of death duty that left the family so impoverished, that Richard had to work for him on the farm. His brother also made Richard heir to the estate. According to Richard's biographers, friends tried to arrange a match with a certain noble lady. However Richard rejected the proposed match, suggesting that his brother might marry her instead; he also reconveyed the estates back to his brother, preferring a life of study and the church.
Educated at the University of Oxford, Richard soon began to teach in the university. From there he proceeded to Paris and then Bologna, where he distinguished himself by his proficiency in canon law. On returning to England in 1235, Richard was elected Oxford's chancellor.
His former tutor, Edmund of Abingdon, had become archbishop of Canterbury. Richard shared Edmund's ideals of clerical reform and supported papal rights even against the king. In 1237, Archbishop Edmund appointed Richard chancellor of the diocese of Canterbury. Richard joined the archbishop during his exile at Pontigny, and was with him when the archbishop died circa 1240. Richard then decided to become a priest and studied theology for two years with the Dominicans at Orléans. Upon returning to England, Richard became the parish priest at Charing and at Deal, but soon was reappointed chancellor of Canterbury by the new archbishop Boniface of Savoy.
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