Mellitus

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Our father among the saints Mellitus (died April 24, 624) was the first Bishop of London and the third Archbishop of Canterbury, and was one of the members of the Gregorian mission sent to England to convert the Anglo-Saxons. He was sent to England in 601 AD, and was accompanied by other clergy to augment the missionaries already there. In 604 he was consecrated as Bishop of London, but in 616 after the death of his patron he was forced to leave London and take refuge in Gaul. He returned to England within the next year, but was never able to return to London as the inhabitants remained pagans. In 619 he was consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury. While archbishop he was alleged to have saved the cathedral and much of the town of Canterbury from a fire. After his death in 624, he was reverred as a saint.

Succession box:
Mellitus
Preceded by:
St. Laurence
Archbishop of Canterbury
619-
Succeeded by:
Justus
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