Saint Grimbald (or Grimwald) (c. 820s – 8 July 901) was a 9th-century

Benedictine 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 ...

monk at the Abbey of Saint Bertin near

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 ...

, France. Although of dubious historical accuracy, the life of Grimbald was recorded in several volumes, of which the main source is referred to as the Vita Prima of St. Grimbaldi. According to the Vita Prima, King Alfred met Grimbald before his reign, and after his coronation invited Grimbald to England around 892. Invited for his linguistic and compositional ability, Grimbald was one of several scholars who had been invited to the English court by Alfred to assist him in his literary pursuits, and was among the most prominent. In fact, in the Introduction of his translation of Gregory the Great's '' Pastoral Care'', Alfred mentions the help he received from Grimbald in composing Latin. Although it is said that during Grimbald's life he refused King Alfred's offer of appointment to the see of Canterbury, after Alfred's death he accepted appointment as abbot to a yet unbuilt

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, New Minster, in

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

by King Edward. Grimwald died at New Minster on 8 July 901. He was venerated as a saint and confessor, and some altars were dedicated to him. He also figures in a number of legendary tales of Oxford. The Grimbald Gospels in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

are named after him.British Library
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* 10th-century Christian saints 820s births 901 deaths Year of birth uncertain Abbots of Winchester Benedictine abbots Benedictine saints French Christian monks Saints of West Francia French emigrants to England French scholars West Saxon saints English Christian monks 9th-century English people 9th-century Christian abbots 9th-century people from West Francia {{England-saint-stub