The Dawn of Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England

The story of Saint Æthelthryth (also known as Etheldreda or Audrey) unfolds during a transformative period in English history—the 7th to 10th centuries—when pagan Anglo-Saxon kingdoms gradually embraced Christianity. This spiritual revolution was shaped by missionaries like Augustine of Canterbury and Celtic monks from Iona, as well as royal converts who wielded both political and religious influence. Æthelthryth, a noblewoman who became a saint, embodied this fusion of faith and power.

Born around 636 into the East Anglian royal family, Æthelthryth was raised in a world where Christianity was still gaining ground. Her life intersected with key figures of the era, including Saint Wilfrid of York and Bishop Æthelwold of Winchester, whose Benedictional immortalized her sanctity centuries later.

A Queen Twice Married, Yet Ever Virgin

Æthelthryth’s legacy rests on her extraordinary vow of perpetual virginity, despite two politically arranged marriages. First wed to Tondberht, a nobleman of the South Gyrwe, she persuaded him to respect her chastity. After his death, she married Ecgfrith, the future King of Northumbria. Though pressured to produce an heir, Æthelthryth held firm, eventually gaining Ecgfrith’s reluctant permission to enter monastic life.

Fleeing to Ely in 673, she founded a double monastery, serving as its abbess until her death in 679. Her unwavering piety—and the miraculous preservation of her uncorrupted body when exhumed 16 years later—cemented her sainthood.

The Benedictional of Saint Æthelwold: A Visual Testament

Æthelthryth’s sanctity was celebrated in the Benedictional of Saint Æthelwold, a lavishly illuminated manuscript commissioned around 973. As Winchester’s bishop, Æthelwold was a driving force behind the 10th-century English Benedictine Reform, which sought to standardize monastic practices. His Benedictional, reserved for bishops, featured two striking depictions of Æthelthryth:

1. A scene of her surrounded by a choir of virgins, symbolizing her leadership of Ely’s monastic community.
2. A solo portrait emphasizing her spiritual purity, accompanied by a blessing praising her dual marriage without marital consummation.

This liturgical text not only honored Æthelthryth but also reinforced the reform movement’s ideals of chastity and royal-monastic collaboration.

King Edgar and the Monastic Reform Movement

The Regularis Concordia (c. 970), a cornerstone of Æthelwold’s reforms, highlighted the monarchy’s role in supporting monasteries. King Edgar, depicted enthroned between Æthelwold and Saint Dunstan in art, was framed as a “good shepherd” protecting the Church. The document stipulated that abbots and abbesses required royal approval, while monks prayed daily for the king—a reciprocal bond of spiritual and temporal power.

Æthelthryth’s story resonated here: her marriages reflected the era’s political alliances, yet her ultimate rejection of secular power epitomized the reform’s ascetic values.

The Translation of Saint Swithun: A Spectacle of Faith

Another pivotal moment in Æthelwold’s tenure was the 971 translation of Saint Swithun’s relics. Swithun, a humble 9th-century Winchester bishop, became posthumously famous when Æthelwold moved his remains to a lavish shrine inside the cathedral. Chronicled by Wulfstan, a local cleric, the event featured three days of fasting, nocturnal vigils, and a grand procession. Swithun’s reburial in a gem-encrusted reliquary—ordered by King Edgar—showcased the Church’s growing opulence and the cult of saints as a tool for reform.

The Palm Sunday Pageant: Ritual and Symbolism

The Benedictional’s illustration of Palm Sunday (Fig. 6-4) reveals how liturgy shaped communal identity. Unlike traditional depictions of Christ’s followers, Æthelwold’s version presents them as generic “faithful,” holding palm branches and flowers. This aligns with homilies by Ælfric of Eynsham, which describe processions where laity reenacted biblical scenes—a practice likely introduced during the reforms to deepen lay engagement.

Legacy: From Medieval Cult to Modern Memory

Æthelthryth’s influence endured for centuries. Ely Cathedral, built on her monastery’s site, became a major pilgrimage destination. Her feast day (June 23) inspired “St. Audrey’s Fairs,” where cheap lace (“tawdry”) peddled in her name entered English vernacular. Meanwhile, the Benedictine Reform’s emphasis on education and art preservation laid groundwork for England’s later cultural flourishing.

Today, scholars study Æthelthryth as both a historical figure and a symbol: a queen who defied gendered expectations, a saint whose body defied decay, and a reform-era icon whose story was meticulously crafted to serve the Church’s vision. Her dual legacy—pious ascetic and political operator—mirrors the complex interplay of faith and power in medieval England.

Conclusion

The tales of Æthelthryth, Æthelwold, and their contemporaries offer a window into a dynamic age. Through illuminated manuscripts, royal decrees, and saintly translations, 10th-century reformers reshaped England’s spiritual landscape, using the past to legitimize their present. Æthelthryth’s enduring veneration reminds us that history is not just lived—it is curated, commemorated, and, above all, contested.