Synod of Chester facts for kids
The Synod of Chester was a big meeting of church leaders, like bishops, that happened in a place called Chester. This meeting took place a very long time ago, either in the late 500s or early 600s. We don't have many records from that time, so the exact dates and details can be a bit unclear.
This meeting was a really important event for the history of Wales and England. At the synod, the native British bishops said "no" to offers of peace from Augustine. Augustine was part of a mission from the Pope to spread Christianity in England. This disagreement directly led to a major fight called the Battle of Chester. In this battle, a king named Æthelfrith of Northumbria likely killed the kings of Powys and possibly Gwynedd. This happened during an attack on a religious community at Bangor-on-Dee.
Contents
Old Records of the Synod
Old Welsh historical records, called the Welsh annals, mention this meeting. One record says:
- "The synod of Urbs Legionis [Chester]. Gregory died in Christ and also bishop David of Moni Iudeorum."
Another record, written later, says:
- "The Synod of Legion City. Gregory went to Christ. David the bishop of Meneva died."
This later record suggests the meeting happened 569 years after the birth of Christ. Another way to date it is around the year 601.
The "Gregory" mentioned in these records was probably Pope Gregory I, who died in 604. The "David" was likely Saint David, a very important Welsh saint. He was also involved in earlier church meetings.
Church History and Meetings
The First Meeting: Augustine's Oak
A famous English historian named Bede wrote a lot about the resistance of the British church leaders to changes suggested by the Roman church. He described two meetings between Archbishop Augustine of Canterbury and the British bishops.
The first meeting happened at a place Bede called "Augustine's Oak." This spot was likely near the Severn or Bristol Channel rivers. Bede said the church leaders came from the "next province of the Britons."
Augustine told the bishops that some of their practices were different from those in Rome. He especially wanted them to change how they calculated the date of Easter. He also wanted them to start preaching to the pagan Angles and Saxons. Bede didn't mention it, but Augustine probably also wanted to be in charge of all the churches in Britain. This would have given his protector, King Æthelberht, a lot of power over the British clergy.
Bede wrote that when the Britons refused Augustine's requests, Augustine suggested a test. He said, "Let some sick person be brought. We will see whose prayers heal them. That person's faith and practices should be accepted by everyone." A blind British man was brought forward. Augustine's prayers helped him see again. The British church leaders then "confessed that it was the true way of righteousness which Augustine taught." But they also said they "could not depart from their ancient customs without the consent and leave of their people."
The Second Meeting: A Big Disagreement
Augustine's second meeting was much larger. Bede's records say that seven bishops and "many most learned men" from the monastery at Bangor-on-Dee attended. At that time, the main bishoprics were St. Asaph's, Meneva, Bangor, and Llandaff. So, most of the important leaders of the British church were there.
The Ecclesiastical History doesn't say exactly where this second meeting took place. If it wasn't in Chester, then the Synod of Chester might have been a meeting the Welsh leaders had among themselves beforehand. They would have discussed how to respond to Augustine's demands and who would go to the larger meeting.
Bede wrote that the Britons asked a "holy and discreet man," a hermit, for advice. The hermit told them to test Augustine. He said they should arrive late to the meeting. If Augustine was humble enough to stand up and greet them, they should accept him as a man of God.
However, Augustine did not stand up to greet the late-comers. Because of this, the meeting completely fell apart. Augustine then called for God's punishment on the Britons. Bede, while understanding why the Britons were stubborn, believed that the later battle of Chester was a fulfillment of Augustine's curse. In that battle, Welsh kings and hundreds of monks from Bangor-on-Dee were killed. Bede saw this as a punishment for the errors of the Celtic church practices. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle also repeated Augustine's curses, explaining the battle as a fulfillment of his prophecy.
See also
