Eoban (died 5 June 754 at

Dokkum Dokkum is a Dutch fortified city in the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân in the province of Friesland. It has 12,669 inhabitants (February 8, 2020). The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the ''bolwerken'' (bulwarks) ...

) was a companion of St. Boniface, and was martyred with him on his final mission. In Germany, he is revered as a bishop and martyr.

Biography

Little is known of Eoban apart from what the ''Vita Bonifatii'' says. Apparently, he was an English priest who came to Germany together with St. Boniface. In 753, Willibald's ''Vita'' lists him as a

Chorbishop A chorbishop is a rank of Christian clergy below bishop. The name chorepiscope or chorepiscopus (plural chorepiscopi) is taken from the Greek and means "rural bishop". History Chorepiscopi are first mentioned by Eusebius as existing in the se ...

. The '' Fulda martyrology'' mentions him as a bishop, as does the ''Vita tertia Bonifatii''. According to the ''Vita Bonifatii auctore Willibaldo'', on the morning of 5 June 754, Boniface and 50 others, presumably including Eoban (none of the companions are mentioned by name in the ''Vita''), were killed at

(The Netherlands) by pagan Frisians. His cult was of some importance to English Catholics; he is included in the paintings made by Niccolò Circignani of English saints and martyrs in the

English College, Rome The Venerable English College (), commonly referred to as the English College, is a Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales. It was founded in 1579 by William Allen on the model of the English Colleg ...

Veneration in Erfurt

After 756 the relics of the bishops of Utrecht Eoban and Adalar were transferred to

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...

, and buried next to St. Boniface. Before 1100 they had been then transferred to

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

.Monks of Ramsgate. "Eoban". ''Book of Saints''
1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 5 December 2012 Around this time the veneration of the companions of St. Boniface began in Erfurt. The

Sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

containing the relics of the saints Adalar and Eoban in the

Erfurt Cathedral Erfurt Cathedral (, officially ''Hohe Domkirche St. Marien zu Erfurt'', English: Cathedral Church of St Mary at Erfurt), also known as St Mary's Cathedral, is the largest and oldest church building in the Thuringian city of Erfurt, ...

is dated from about 1350. His feast day as a saint is 7 July.

References

Sources

* Dehio ''Mitteldeutschland'', 1943, S. 94 * Schubert, Ernst, Der Dom zu Erfurt, Berlin 1992, Abb. 106 * Wäß, Helga: ''Reliquiensarkophag für den heiligen Bischof Adolar und seinen heiligen Diakon Eoban'', in: Form und Wahrnehmung mitteldeutscher Gedächtnisskulptur im 14. Jahrhundert, hier Bd. 2, Katalog ausgewählter Objekte vom Hohen Mittelalter bis zum Anfang des 15. Jahrhunderts, Bristol, Berlin 2006, S. 156 ff. mit Abbildungen. - * Transkription des Prozessionsprotokolls für den Umgang mit den Reliquien der hll. Adolar und Eoban, in: Helga Wäß: ''Prozessionsordnung von 1452'', in: Form und Wahrnehmung mitteldeutscher Gedächtnisskulptur im 14. Jahrhundert, Bd. 1, Bristol und Berlin 2006, S. 486 ff. -

External links

*
Eoban
in the Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon {{Authority control Bishops of Utrecht 754 deaths 8th-century Frankish bishops West Saxon saints Year of birth unknown 8th-century Christian martyrs