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Icons of St. Felix of Dunwich,
the Apostle of East Anglia (+ 647)
Feast: Mar. 8
St. Felix was born in Burgundy
before the year of salvation 600. As a consecrated bishop, he came to
England with Honorius, Archbishop of Canterbury. In 630 the kingdom of
East Anglia received a Christian king, Sigebert (who had become a
Christian while exiled in Germany). St. Felix was sent to spread the
Gospel there. His mission lasted for 17 fruitful years. He founded a
monastery at Soham, in the fens near Ely, where he was to be buried,
though his remains were later transferred to the great Abbey of Ramsey,
near Peterborough. He reposed in Christ in 647. The port-town of
Felixstowe, near Ipswich. takes its name from him. Dunwich, where he
established his see, no longer exists. Once a city one square mile in
size, with 52 churches, chapels, religious houses and hospitals, it was
lost to the advancing North Sea in the 14th century. The site of St.
Felix's cathedral - just like St. Wilfrid's at Selsey - is now lost
under many feet of mud and sand. May his memory amongst the Orthodox
fare better!
Holy Father
Felix, pray to God for us.
Top Icon: unknown provenance.
Next Icon: by the hand of Aidan Hart, Oecumenical Patriarchate,
Britain.
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