AZGUSTINE, SAINT, first archbishop of Canterbury, was originally a monk in the convent of St. Andrew at Rome. In 596, he was sent, along with forty other monks, by pope Gregory I., to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, and establish the authority of the Roman see in Britain. The tnissionaries were kindly received by Ethelbert. king of Kent, whose wife Bertha, daughter of the king of the Parisians, was n Christian, and retained a Frankish bishop in her suite as chaplain. A residence was assigned to them at Canterbury, then called Durorernunt, where they devoted themselves to monastic exercises and preaching. The conversion and baptism of the king contributed greatly to the success of their efforts among his subjects, and it is re( °riled that in one day A. baptized 10.000 persons in the river Swale. Nominal as mueli of this conversion must have been, there is abundant testimony to the fact that a marked improvement in the life and manners of the Anglo-Saxons followed the evangelistic labors of A. and his companions.
In 597, he went to Arles, by direction of the pope, and was there consecrated arch bishop of Canterbury and metropolitan of England. On his return, lie dispatched presbyter and monk to Rome, to inform the pope of his success, and obtain instruction on certain questions. Gregory's advises with regard to the propagation of the faith ale admirable examples of that pious ingenuity which has often eliaractcrized the missionary policy of the church of Rome. Thus, instead of destroying the heathen temples, A.
was recommended to convert them into Christian chinches, by washing the walls with holy water, erecting altars, and substituting holy ielics and symbols for the images of the heathen gods. A.'s subsequent efforts to establish his authority over the native British church were not so successful as his missionary lsbotr. Ile d. in C09, and was buried in the church-yard of the monastery bearing his name, fo--nded by king Ethelbert. His body was removed to the cathedral of Canterbury in ICT1. Bede's ilistoria Eceltd (Wirtz Genre Artglorum is the great authority for the life of St. A. A thoughtful and pleasing sketch of it will be found in the Rev. Arthur P. Stanley's //idorieut of Canterbury, Lond., 1855.
The site and remains of St. A.'s monastery were purchased in 1899 by Mr. Beresford Ilope, by whom they were presented to the archbishop of Canterbury in trust, for the erection of a missionary college in connection with the church of England. This institution was incorporated by royal charier in 1898. The buildings. In N% hi(.11 as Dutch of the ancient structure as possi hie has been preserved, contain accommodation for about 45 students, whose course of study extends over three years. Twenty exhibitions have been founded in connection with the college.