Acca Of Hexham
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Acca of Hexham ( 660 – 740/742) was an early medieval Northumbrian prelate, serving as
bishop of Hexham The Bishop of Hexham was an episcopal title which took its name after the market town of Hexham in Northumberland, England. The title was first used by the Anglo-Saxons in the 7th and 9th centuries, and then by the Roman Catholic Church since ...
from 709 until 732, and subsequently commemorated as a Christian saint.


Life

Born in
Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...
, Acca first served in the household of Bosa, the future
Bishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers t ...
, but later attached himself to
Wilfrid Wilfrid ( – 709 or 710) was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Francia, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and beca ...
, possibly as early as 678, and accompanied him on his travels."Northern Saints", 'This is Durham', Durham County Council
/ref> Later he told his friend
Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...
of their stay at Utrecht with the archbishop
Willibrord Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop, and missionary. He became the first Diocese of Utrecht (695–1580), Bishop of Utrecht in what is now the Netherlands, dying at Echternach in Luxembourg, and ...
, Wilfrid's old pupil who was carrying on his work of converting continental heathens. On the return from their second journey to Rome in 692, Wilfrid was reinstated at Hexham and made Acca abbot of St Andrew's monastery there. During Wilfrid's later years, Acca was the older man's loyal companion, eventually succeeding him in 709 as abbot and bishop. Acca tackled his duties with much energy, in ruling the diocese and in conducting the services of the church. He also carried on the work of church building and decorating started by Wilfrid. Acca was both an accomplished musician and a learned theologian. Bede describes Acca as "...a most experienced cantor, most learned in sacred writings, ...and thoroughly familiar with the rules of ecclesiastical custom." Acca once brought to the North a famous
cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...
named Maban, who had learned in Kent the Roman traditions of psalmody handed down from
Gregory the Great Pope Gregory I (; ; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great (; ), was the 64th Bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 until his death on 12 March 604. He is known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission from Rom ...
through
Augustine of Canterbury Augustine of Canterbury (early 6th century in England, 6th century – most likely 26 May 604) was a Christian monk who became the first archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English". Augustine ...
.Thurston, Herbert. "St. Acca." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 12 May 2013
/ref> Acca was also famous for his theological learning; his theological library was praised by
Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...
as "'large and most noble". He was known also for his encouragement of students by every means in his power. It was Acca who persuaded
Stephen of Ripon Stephen of Ripon was the author of the eighth-century Hagiography, hagiographic text ''Vita Sancti Wilfrithi'' ("Life of Wilfrid, Saint Wilfrid"). Other names once traditionally attributed to him are Eddius Stephanus or Æddi Stephanus, but these ...
(Eddius) to take on the '' Life of Saint Wilfrid'', and he lent many materials for the ''
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum The ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People'' (), written by Bede in about AD 731, is a history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the growth of Christianity. It was composed in Latin, and ...
'' to Bede, who dedicated several of his most important works, especially those dealing with Holy Scripture, to him. For reasons now unknown, Acca either withdrew, or was driven from, his diocese in 732. Hexham tradition says he became bishop of Whithorn in
Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...
, Scotland,Oxford Dictionary of Saints
/ref> while others claim he founded a see on the site of
St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...
, bringing with him relics collected on his Roman tour, including those of St Andrew. Yet a third account states that having fallen out with the Northumbrian king, Acca went to live in exile in Ireland on a remote coast before returning to Hexham. St Andrew's Church in Aycliffe is said to have been once dedicated to Acca. Acca was buried at Hexham near the east wall of the abbey. Two finely carved crosses, fragments of one of which still remain, were erected at the head and foot of his grave. He was revered as a saint immediately after his death. His body was translated at least three times: in the early 11th century, by Alfred of Westow, sacrist of Durham; in 1154, at the restoration of the church, when the relics of all the Hexham saints were put together in a single shrine; and again in 1240. His feast day is 20 October. The translation of his relics is commemorated on 19 February. The only surviving writing of Acca's is a letter addressed to Bede and printed in his
works Works may refer to: People * Caddy Works (1896–1982), American college sports coach * John D. Works (1847–1928), California senator and judge * Samuel Works (c. 1781–1868), New York politician Albums * ''Works'' (Pink Floyd album), a Pi ...
(see also Raine below).


Citations


References

* Raine, J., ''Priory of Hexham'' (Surtees Society, London 1864), containing the text of Acca's letter to Bede and other relevant material on his life *Stanton, Richard, ''A Menology of England and Wales'' (London, 1892), 507 *
Simeon of Durham __NOTOC__ Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (fl. c.1090 to c. 1128 ) was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory. Biography Symeon was a Benedictine monk at Durham Cathedral at the end of the eleventh century. He may have been one of 23 mon ...
, and Ælred's ''On the Saints of Hexham'', both in the Rolls Series * Eddius, ''Life of Wilfrid'' (ed Raine, J.,''Historians of the Church of York'', London 1879–94; ed Levison, W., in '' Mon. Germ. Hist.'', ''Scriptores Rerum Merovingicarum'', vol. 6 (1913); or ed B. Colgrave, Cambridge 1927) *Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People'' (many editions) *Hunter Blair, P., ''The World of Bede'' (1970) *Kirby, D. P. (ed), ''St Wilfrid at Hexham'' (1974)


External links

*
Hexham Abbey webpageCatholic Online entry for St Acca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acca 660 births 740s deaths Northumbrian saints Bishops of Hexham History of Northumberland English abbots 8th-century English bishops 8th-century Christian saints Burials at Hexham Abbey 8th-century writers in Latin 8th-century English writers Letter writers in Latin 8th-century Christian abbots