Plechelm, (Plechelm of Guelderland, Plechelm, also Pleghelm or Plechelmus; died 730), is honoured in both the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and the

Old Catholic Church The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches, or Old Catholic movement, designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the undiv ...

as a

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of the Netherlands.

Life

According to

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiography, hagiographer. Born in Northamptonshire, he studied at the English College, in Douai, Douay, France where he later taught philosophy and theology. He s ...

, Plechelm was an English Saxon born in southern Scotland. Richard Stanton places him in the north of England. After being ordained, he made a pilgrimage to Rome, with two fellow monks, Saints Wiro and Otger. Having been consecrated a bishop, perhaps by

Pope Sergius I Pope Sergius I (8 September 701) was the bishop of Rome from 15 December 687 to his death on 8 September 701, and is revered as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected at a time when two rivals, Paschal and Theodore, were locked ...

, he returned home with a number of holy relics. He then started with Wiro and the deacon Otger on a mission to Gaul. They were well received by

Pepin of Herstal Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Franks, Frankish statesman and military leader who was the de facto ruler of Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke ...

, who gave the missionaries St. Peter's Mount (also known as Sint Odiliënberg). They built a monastery there which was important in the

Christianisation Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...

of the Netherlands. Many missions were sent from there to the provinces between the Rhine and the Meuse. According to John O'Hanlon, it is said that Plechelm and Wiro were present at Synod of Utrecht in 697. Plechelm died in

Sint Odiliënberg Sint Odiliënberg () is a village in southeast Netherlands, It is located in Roerdalen, Limburg, in the Roer River valley. History Romans settled here very early. Around 700, missionary monks from Northumbria,O'Hanlon. John. ''Lives of the Irish saints'', Vol. 7, 1873, p. 239
/ref> Oldenzaalplechelmus1

Veneration

Plechelm was greatly honored at Sint Odiliënberg, and Ruramonde. With the invasion of the Normans in the middle of the ninth century, the relics of Wiro, Plechelm, and Otger were moved to Utrecht. Plechelm was

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...

Pope Agapetus II Pope Agapetus II (died 8 November 955) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 10 May 946 to his death. A nominee of the princeps of Rome, Alberic II of Spoleto, his pontificate occurred during the period known as the ''Saecul ...

about 950. In 954 Bishop

Balderic of Utrecht Balderic of Cleves (Oldenzaal, 897 – Utrecht, 27 December 975) was a long-reigning and influential Bishop of Utrecht from 918 to 975. Although his father is only known from one document associating him with Betuwe, and his grave in his son' ...

had the relics of Plechelm transferred to the Basilica of St. Plechelm in

Oldenzaal Oldenzaal (; Tweants: ''Oldnzel'') is a municipality and a city in the eastern province of Overijssel in the Netherlands. It is part of the region of Twente and is close to the German border. It received city rights in 1249. Historically, the ...

which he had built to enshrine the remains.

References

External links

Catholic Forum
{{Authority control 730 deaths Irish Benedictines 8th-century Irish Christian clergy Irish Christian missionaries Burials in Overijssel Benedictine saints Irish Roman Catholic saints Dutch Roman Catholic saints 8th-century Christian saints Colombanian saints Year of birth unknown Christian missionaries in the Netherlands Christian missionaries in England