Augustine of Canterbury, << AW guh `steen` or aw GUHS tihn, >> Saint (?-604), was the first archbishop of Canterbury. Pope Saint Gregory I commissioned Augustine to lead a team of 30 missionary monks from Rome to England. The group arrived in 597 and were welcomed by Ethelbert, king of Kent. Although the king was not a Christian, he invited Augustine and his monks to preach in his kingdom. Their preaching converted thousands of the English, including Ethelbert, to Christianity, and so Augustine is known as the apostle to the English nation. He established a cathedral at Canterbury. Pope Gregory appointed Augustine archbishop of Canterbury in 601. Augustine’s feast day in England and Wales is May 26, the date of his death. His feast day is May 27 on the general church calendar.
See also Canterbury ; Gregory I, Saint .
