Saint Wilgils | |
|---|---|
 Statute of Wilgils's son Willbrord at Echternach | |
| Hermit | |
| Born | early 7th c. Northumbria |
| Died | early 8th c. Humber, Northumbria |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Orthodox Church Anglican Communion Lutheranism |
| Feast | January 31 |
Wilgils of Ripon, also known asWilgisl andHilgis,[1] was a seventh centurysaint andhermit ofAnglo-Saxon England, who was the father ofSt Willibrord.[2] Hisfeast day is 31 January.[3]
He is known mainly from theLife ofSt Willibrord byAlcuin,[4] but is also mentioned bySecgan[5] andBede.
Alcuin says he was achurl or "a non-servile peasant",[6] and calls him aSaxon ofNorthumbria which was predominantlyAngle at the time.
StWillibrord, born c 658 AD, theApostle toFrisia andpatron saint of theNetherlands andLuxembourg, was his son.Alcuin also writes that Wilgils waspaterfamilias of Alcuin's own family and that he (Alcuin) had inherited Wilgils' oratory and church byinheritance,[7] indicating a close familial relationship. Wilgisl was also distantly related toBeornred, theabbot ofEchternach andBishop of Sens.
Wilgils entrusted his son to the church, and settled on the banks of theHumber estuary where he lived as a hermit. His fame increased and he was granted royal patronage that allowed him to found anoratory andchurch at the mouth of the Humber.