Saint Ansgar 9Th Century Scandinavia

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“A Great Cloud of Witnesses” A Historical Series of the Murals on the Walls of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Church Saint Ansgar 9th Century Scandinavia Born in 801 AD in France, St. Ansgar was raised in a Benedictine ab- bey after his mother died. He became a Benedictine monk, and was sent to preach the Gospel in Denmark with the newly-Baptized king. He labored in this primarily un-Christian country until the king was expelled and St. Ansgar with him. He was then sent to Sweden, and although the delegation was attacked on its way and was thought to have abandoned its mission, the determined St. Ansgar succeeded in entering the country. The king of Sweden received him favorably and allowed him to preach the Gospel. Many converted and he established a church there. Returning to Germany, St. Ansgar was made a bishop and the pope put him in charge of the missions in the northern lands. However, the king of the Danes saw Christianity as the religion of his political rival, and he invaded St. Ansgar’s diocese, leaving the entire land in ruins. St. Ansgar labored on, and made frequent trips back to Denmark and Sweden to win the favor of the royalty and to continue the work of the Gospel in these lands. While his original missions in Denmark and Sweden were later completely destroyed, St. Ansgar is considered the “Apostle of the North.” He died in the year 865, regretting that he had never been a martyr. His Feast day is February 3. Each month, this series will feature the murals painted on the walls of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Church along with history and commentary. You can also find this series on our website at www.hcscchurch.org. Historical commentary researched and prepared by Anthony Lickteig (Seminarian). Mural 11 S:\ File Transfer Folder\ Wall Murals .

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Digitalisering av redan tidigare utgivna vetenskapliga publikationer Dessa fotografier är offentliggjorda vilket innebär att vi använder oss av en undantagsregel i 23 och 49 a §§ lagen (1960:729) om upphovsrätt till litterära och konstnärliga verk (URL). Undantaget innebär att offentliggjorda fotografier får återges digitalt i anslutning till texten i en vetenskaplig framställning som inte framställs i förvärvssyfte. Undantaget gäller fotografier med både kända och okända upphovsmän. Bilderna märks med ©. Det är upp till var och en att beakta eventuella upphovsrätter. SWEDISH NATIONAL HERITAGE BOARD RIKSANTIKVARIEÄMBETET Mwtwl ^ bfikj O Opw UmA mwfrtMs O Cme-fou ö {wert* RoA«l O "liWIøf'El'i'fcA Birka Bente Magnus National Heritage Board View from the Fort Hill towards the Black Earth and Hemlanden (“The Homelands ”) at Birka. Birka is no. 2 in the series “Cultural Monuments in Sweden”, a set of guides to some of the most interesting ancient and historic monuments in Sweden. Author: Bente Magnus wrote the original text in Norwegian Translator: Alan Crozier Editor: Gunnel Friberg Layout: Agneta Modig ©1998 National Heritage Board ISBN 91-7209-125-8 1:3 Publisher: National Heritage Board, Box 5405, SE-114 84 Stockholm, Sweden Tel +46 (0)8 5191 8000 Printed by: Halls Offset, Växjö, 2004 Aerial view of Birka, 1997. The history of a town In Lake Mälaren, about 30 kilometres west protectedlocation, it attracted people from of Stockholm, between the fjords of Södra far and near to come to offer their goods Björkfjärdenand Hovgårdsfjärden,lies the and services. Today Birka is one of Swe island of Björkö. Until 1,100 years ago, den’s sites on Unesco’s World Heritage List there was a small, busy market town on and a popular attraction for thousands of the western shore of the island.
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