 | This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Eskil of Lund" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2022) |
Eskil was a 12th-centuryArchbishop of Lund, inSkåne,Denmark (now in Sweden).
He was one of the most capable and prominent princes of the Church in Scandinavia. A man of profound piety, he was always zealous for the welfare of the church, and was a courageous and unselfish defender of the rights of the hierarchy in its struggle against the civil power and clerical usurpers.[citation needed]
Eskil was born about 1100. His father Christian was descended from an illustrious dynastic family ofJutland and was related to several royal families. When twelve years of age the young Eskil was received into the renowned cathedral school atHildesheim. Here, during a dangerous illness, he was allegedly honoured by a vision of theVirgin Mary, who, chiding him with his frivolous conduct, saved him from imminent perdition and restored his health, demanding five measures of different varieties of corn as a thank-offering. This vision was interpreted to mean that Eskil would attain high ecclesiastical dignity and establish five confraternities.
In 1131, his uncle, Asser (Asger), the firstArchbishop of Lund, nominated himprovost of the cathedral. In 1134 he was consecratedBishop of Roskilde.
As Bishop of Roskilde he called theBenedictines to Næstved, andEskilsø Monastery atEskilsø near Roskilde most probably traces its origin to him.
After Asser's death in 1137, Eskil succeeded him as archbishop. He successfully defended the metropolitan rights of his see in spite of the protestations of thearchbishop of Bremen. He received thepallium (archiepiscopal insignia) fromInnocent II through thepapal legate, Cardinal Theodignus, who, with many Scandinavian bishops, was present at the provincial Synod of Lund (1139). Eskil completed the new cathedral inRomanesque style, which he consecrated in 1145. On this occasion he increased the membership and the endowments of the cathedral chapter and improved the condition of thecathedral school.
On various occasions Eskil was involved in the internal political disputes of rival kings, even to the extent of being temporarily held captive in his own cathedral, for which he was later indemnified by various land-grants. During the Crusades, Eskil, animated by the example ofBernard of Clairvaux, also preached a crusade against the paganWends, which, unfortunately, proved unsuccessful. He, nevertheless, continued his campaign with youthful ardour, even in his old age, till, after the conquest ofRügen, the Wends accepted Christianity.
In 1152, CardinalNicholas Breakspear was sent aspapal legate to Scandinavia to settle ecclesiastical affairs. Norway was constituted a separate ecclesiastical province, with itsmetropolitan see of Trondhjem (Nidaros). Eskil remained Archbishop of Lund. He was also nominated Primate of Sweden and papal legate for the North.
By a proper selection of persons for the higher ecclesiastical offices he effected an immense improvement in the standard of religious life. In 1161 he drew up a code ofcanon law for Skåne, which, ten years later, was introduced intoSeeland (Denmark).
Eskil established thePremonstratensian monastery inTommerup, Skåne; theKnights of St. John also settled in Lund during his time. There was also, in Seeland, an establishment of Carthusian monks, but only for a short time. TheCistercian monks were especial favourites of Eskil, who founded their first monastery in 1144 atHerrevad (Herivadum) nearHelsingborg, which was soon followed by one atEsrom inSjælland (1154). From both of these various branches were established.
Eskil corresponded with Bernard, whom he admired and revered. With a view to being admitted to the Cistercian Order he visited St. Bernard atClairvaux in 1152. Bernard refused him admission, pointing out that his services as bishop would be more beneficial to the church at large. Hearing of Bernard's death (1153), Eskil made a pilgrimage to the saint's grave and thence to Rome, where all his archiepiscopal privileges were ratified byPope Adrian IV (Breakspear).
Returning, Eskil was imprisoned atThionville (at the instigation of the Archbishop of Bremen?). In a dignified letter to the kings and the bishops of Denmark, Eskil expressed his willingness rather to suffer innocently in defence of the Church's prerogatives than to be ransomed.
Having obtained his liberty in 1158, Eskil returned home, where he found King Waldemar sole sovereign. When the latter took the part of theantipope Victor, Eskil, faithful to Alexander III, took refuge in foreign parts. Excepting a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he lived in France (Clairvaux), in close proximity to the pope. In 1164 he consecratedStephen of Alvastra, a Cistercian monk, firstArchbishop of Uppsala. Year later, BenedictineFulco was appointed by Eskil as the Bishop ofEstonia.
After Waldemar's reconciliation with Alexander III, Eskil returned home (1168). Subsequent to the solemn translation of the relics of the canonized (1169) martyr-duke,Knud Lavard (d. 1131), Waldemar's father, Eskil crowned the king's seven-year-old son at Ringsted, 1170.
After another sojourn at Clairvaux (1174–76), the venerable archbishop received permission from the pope to resign and to nominate a successor. In the spring of 1177, in the presence of the king, numerous prelates and a great concourse of people assembled in the cathedral of Lund, Eskil, having read the papal decree, declared to resign on his own initiative, laid the official insignia on the altar, and all consenting, designated his nephew, BishopAbsalon of Roskilde, as his successor. He then retired to Clairvaux, spending his last days as a simple monk. The Cistercians honour him asvenerable.
The question whether Eskil was married and had a daughter is a subject of controversy, as thecelibacy of the clergy did not generally obtain during this time. The claim that Eskil had a child rests principally on the authority of Saxo Grammaticus'sGesta Danorum. Saxo, however, was largely hostile to Eskil as a prelate who put the interests of the international church before those of the Danish monarchy.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Eskil".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
