John of Fountains (died 6 May 1225) was a medieval

Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with ...

Life

John was

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 ...

Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercians, Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operat ...

by 13 December 1211, when he was blessed at MelroseSmith, et al. ''Heads of Religious Houses II'' p. 279 by the bishop of Down. Nothing is known of his family or background before this event. While abbot, he continued the building of the abbey's church, and Pope Honorius III named him to a commission with

Stephen Langton Stephen Langton (c. 1150 – 9 July 1228) was an English Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1207 until his death in 1228. The dispute between list of English kings, King John of E ...

the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

and William de Cornhill the

Bishop of Coventry The Bishop of Coventry is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Coventry in the Province of Canterbury. In the Middle Ages, the Bishop of Coventry was a title used by the bishops known today as the Bishop of Lichf ...

to investigate the possible canonization of Hugh of Lincoln.Owen "Fountains, John of" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' John was elected to the see of Ely about 24 January 1220. He was consecrated

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

on 8 March 1220Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 244 at London by Langton. He was enthroned at

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 67 ...

on 25 March 1220.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Ely: Bishops
'' He owed his election to the

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...

Pandulf Verraccio.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 166 While bishop, the pope once more named him to a canonization commission, this time in 1223 for William of York. He was rarely involved in political matters, but did go to France on a diplomatic mission in 1223. John died on 6 May 1225. He was buried in Ely Cathedral, at first near the altar of St. Andrew, but after a rebuilding effort by

Hugh of Northwold Hugh of Northwold (died 1254) was a medieval Bishop of Ely. Life Hugh was born in the parish of Northwold in Norfolk, the son of Peter and Emma. He became a monk at Abbey of Bury St Edmunds in 1202.Owen "Northwold, Hugh of" ''Oxford Dictionary ...

he was reinterred near the high altar. His tomb was described as "in the pavement".Sayers "Once 'Proud Prelate'" ''Journal of the British Archaeological Association'' p. 77

Citations

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:John Of Fountains Bishops of Ely 1225 deaths Year of birth unknown 13th-century English Roman Catholic bishops