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Icons of
St.
Oscar (or Ansgar), Bishop of Hamburg & Bremen, Apostle of Denmark
(+ 865)
Feast: Feb.
3
This Saint
became a monk at Old Corbie then moved to New Corbia
in Westphalia. He accompanied King Harold to Denmark and was a
successful missionary there. King Björn of Sweden invited him to that
country, and there he built Sweden's first Orthodox church. Oscar was
elected Abbot of New Corbie, then chosen Bishop of Hamburg.
Unfortunately, in 845 marauding pagans swept over the areas he had
evangelised and the inhabitants lapsed into paganism. In 854 he
returned to Denmark and Sweden and converted King Eric of Jutland. He
was a great preacher and ascetic, as well as a wonder-worker. He is
dubbed "Apostle of the North." Holy Father Oscar, pray to God for
us!
Top Icon:
by the hand of Alexander Stoljarov, with inscription in German.
This icon is in the Russian Orthodox Church of St. John of Kronstadt,
in Hamburg, Germany. (Thanks to Hieromonk Benedikt [Schneider] for this
information.)
Lowest
Icon: unknown provenance.
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