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Icons of St. Dunstan,
Metropolitan Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 988),
Patron of armorers, goldsmiths, locksmiths, and jewelers, spiritual
father of St. Edward the king & martyr of England.
Feast Days: May 19 (main
feast), his repose; Sept. 7 (probably a translation); Oct. 21
(ordination day)
Top Icon: produced by the
Holy Cross Hermitage, Russian Church Abroad, West Virginia.
Next Icon: an exact rendition
of the image given in an old English manuscript, except that English
has been substituted for the Latin in the inscription.
Next Icon: the original of the
above icon.
Next Icon: by the hand of
Mother Justina, Greek Old Calendarist convent of St. Elizabeth, Etna,
California, by permission.
Next Icon: by the hand of
Mother Justina, Greek Old Calendarist convent of St. Elizabeth, Etna,
California, by permission. This icon is of All Saints of London, and
St. Dunstan is shown in the left group, which comprises Sts. Augulus
(bishop under St. Peter, who is to the left of the Cross), Dunstan (a
little lower than St. Augulus and notably leftward of him, Mellitus,
and Alban.
Final Icon: This icon is by a
hand unknown, but it is known that it was produced at the Kiev Caves
Lavra in 1991. It shows St. Dunstan without a beard, which was in fact
the style of the Anglo-Saxon Bishops in the 10th c. There is, for
example, a self-portrait of Abp. Dunstan in one of the manuscripts he
wrote, where he is shown as a beardless monk prostrated at the feet of
a large figure of Christ in majesty. This Kiev Caves icon has the
inscription in Latin. "Scs" is short for "Sanctus," or
Saint.
Note on Vestments: Visible
above is the Bishop's silk dalmatic (akin to the sakkos) which in the
liturgical usage of Old England was worn under the chasuble or phelon
and was often lined with bells along the hems. (St. Bede notes its
sky-blue colour in his writings.)
In Old English liturgical books, there was
this blessing sung by the Bishop over the people during the Canon of
the Mass on St. Dunstan's feast day: "May God, the enlightener of all
ages, Who made the illustrious and exalted hierarch Dunstan to shine
brightly like one of the Apostles, make you to be filled
with every heavenly blessing through his righteous prayers, that
following in the footsteps of so radiant a forebear, ye may become
people that ascend the ladder to heaven. People: Amen. And
may He that granted him such noble standing with Himself that being reverenced and
glorified by all the people he might blossom as an unsurpassed and
angelic patron for all the English, Himself kindle the ardour of your
hopes towards that place where this magnificent Saint flourisheth
amidst a choir of Angels. People: Amen. And may ye that glory to be honoured
with such a sublime patron, being filled with great joy by his miracles
and illumined by his teachings, attain this from the Lord: that ye
may be reunited with him in the kingdom of heaven. Amen. Which may He deign to grant,
Whose kingdom & dominion abideth without end, unto the ages of
ages. Amen. May the blessing of God almighty, the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit, come down upon you and remain forever. Amen."
Last Stanza of the Sequence
of the Liturgy, May 19
... O Dunstan, living for
ever, pray for thy servants,
Who release their pious shouts of joy, praising thee together,
And for the universal Church of Christ,
Which is spread throughout all the earth. Amen.
The Preface of the Liturgy,
May 19
It is truly meet and just, right and availing to salvation,
that we should always and in all places give thanks to Thee, pay our
vows to Thee, and consecrate our
gifts to Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: Who didst
beforehand elect Thy blessed confessor Dunstan for Thyself, a Bishop of
sanctified confession, a man shining brightly with the
uncircumscribable light, prevailing by the gentleness of his ways,
afire with the fervour of the Faith, and flowing over with the
brook of eloquence. And in what his glory lay, the multitudes at his
sepulchre reveal, and their purification from demonic assaults, their
healing from diseases, and the miracles of his power, of which we
stand in awe. For even if he made an end here by his passing, according
to nature, the hierarch’s righteous deeds live on after the grave,
in that place where there is the presence of the Saviour, Jesus Christ
our Lord. By Whom Angels praise Thy majesty, Dominions worship, the
Powers tremble. The heavens, and the heavenly Virtues, and the blessed
Seraphim, concelebrate in one exultation:- with whom command our
voices also to have entrance, we beseech Thee, humbly confessing
Thee and saying: Holy, Holy, Holy, etc. (blessing, sequence, and
preface are given in full in The Old Sarum Rite Missal, tr. Fr. Aidan
Keller, (c) 1998 St. Hilarion Press)
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