Of the early life of Erkembode, who lived in the late 7th and first half of the 8th centuries, nothing is known. It has been surmised that he was an Irish

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

who travelled with several companions to Sithiu, now

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Sa ...

in northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

where he lived in the monastery. He was a disciple of the abbot at Sithiu, saint

Bertin Bertin (; 615 – ''c''. 709 AD), also known as Saint Bertin the Great, was the Frankish abbot of a monastery in Saint-Omer later named the Abbey of Saint Bertin after him. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The ...

(† c.709), himself a disciple of saint

Columban Saint Columbanus (; 543 – 23 November 615) was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries after 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in present-d ...

us of

Luxeuil Luxeuil-les-Bains () is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Saône Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté west of Mulhouse in eastern France. History Luxeuil (sometimes rendered Lux ...

, the Celtic abbey in the French Vosges mountains. Later Erkembode was elected by the clergy and people as

bishop of Thérouanne A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

, while remaining

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of his abbey. In later times that abbey of Sithiu became part of the

Order of Saint Benedict The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

after the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

reforms of

Benedict of Aniane Benedict of Aniane (; ; 747 – 12 February 821 AD), born Witiza and called the Second Benedict, was a Benedictine monk and monastic reformer who had a substantial impact on the religious practice of the Carolingian Empire. His feast day is ...

. ''Erkembode'', means "recognised envoy" The region is now called

French Flanders French Flanders ( ; ; ) is a part of the historical County of Flanders, where Flemish—a Low Franconian dialect cluster of Dutch—was (and to some extent, still is) traditionally spoken. The region lies in the modern-day northern French regi ...

. The name of the see of Erkembode, Thérouanne, was already quoted as the capital of the

Morini The Morini (Gaulish language, Gaulish: 'sea folk, sailors') were a Belgae, Belgic coastal tribe dwelling in the modern Pas-de-Calais, Pas de Calais region, around present-day Boulogne-sur-Mer, during the La Tène culture, Iron Age and the Roman ...

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

in his ''

Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland). Gauls, Gallic, Germanic peoples, Germanic, and Celtic Britons, Brittonic trib ...

''. After 26 years of episcopacy, in a diocese that extended far into the mainland, Erkembode died on 12 April, though the exact year is unknown. and was buried in

Saint-Omer Cathedral Saint-Omer Cathedral (''Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saint-Omer'') is a former Roman Catholic cathedral, a minor basilica, and a national monument of France. It is located in Saint-Omer. It was formerly the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Omer, but th ...

, where his tomb remains.

Veneration

The diocese of Therouanne was immense: it went from the current Belgium (Ypres) to the Valley of the Somme. Consequently, Erkembode traveled widely. Initially, pilgrims to his tomb left their shoes as ''ex votos'' in testament to their own travels. In modern times visitors to his shrine include the parents of crippled children, who leave pairs of children's shoes on the saint's tomb, invoking Erkembode's intercessions for the healing of their children. The older shoes are periodically cleared away by the cathedral authorities. Erkembode's liturgical feast day is 12 April. An early '' vita'' by Jean Lelong, called Joannes Iperius, a 14th-century Abbot of St-Bertin, is published in ''

Acta Sanctorum ''Acta Sanctorum'' (''Acts of the Saints'') is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical hagiography, organised by the saints' feast days. The project was conceived and ...

''. perius"The life of St Erkembode, fourth abbot of Saint-Bertin", ''Acta Sanctorum'', (1863), 12 April, 93–5; it is the source for

Paul Guérin Paul Guérin (; 8 March 1830 – 23 June 1908) was a French priest, professor of philosophy, writer and encyclopedist. He was gifted as a compiler, and is best known for being the author of the series '' Les Petits Bollandistes: vie des saints'', ...

ed,, "Saint Erkembode, Evėque de Thérouanne (742)" in ''Les petits bollandistes: vies des saints, d'après le père Giry..'' volume 4, ''s.v.'' 12 April.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erkembode Bishops of Thérouanne 8th-century Frankish saints Medieval Irish saints on the Continent 8th-century Irish Christian clergy 734 deaths Irish expatriates in France Year of birth unknown 8th-century Frankish bishops