Saint Bavo

Infobox Saint
name= Saint Bavo
birth_date= 589
death_date= 654
feast_day= October 1
venerated_in= Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Western Rite Orthodox communities


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caption= Saint Bavo with falcon and sword, Hermitage, late 15th century
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patronage= Ghent; Haarlem
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Saint Bavo of Ghent, (also known as Bavon, Allowin, and Baaf), (589 – 654) is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint.

Life

Bavo was born near Liège, Belgium, to a Frankish noble family that gave him the name Allowin. His father was Pippin of Landen, the Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia.

Wild as a youth and selfish, he was known to have sold servants to local nobles as slaves. He contracted a beneficial marriage, and had a daughter through it. He however led an undisciplined and disorderly life. Shortly after the death of his wife, Bavo decided to reform himself. Bavo was converted to Christianity upon hearing a sermon preached by Saint Amand. Bavo traveled with Amand for some time in his missionary work through France and Flanders. On one occasion, Bavo met a man whom he had sold years before. Wishing to atone for this earlier conduct, Bavo had the man lead him by chain to the town jail.

He built an abbey on his grounds and became a monk. He distributed his belongings to the poor and lived as a recluse, first in a hollow tree, later in a cell in the forest near the Abbey. He died at St. Bavo's Abbey in Ghent, in today's Belgium.

Veneration

Bavo is the patron saint of Ghent, Belgium and Haarlem, the Netherlands. He is most often shown in Christian art as a knight with a sword and a falcon. The most popular scene is the moment of his conversion, which has many different stories attached to it. Because he is so often shown with a falcon, he came to be considered the patron saint of falconry. In Ghent, in medieval times, taxes were paid on Oktober 1st, and for this reason Bavo is often shown holding a purse.

According to Rodulfus Glaber, the city of Bamberg is named after him, with Bamberg meaning 'Mount of Bavo'.

His feast day in the Orthodox Church is October 1.

Several churches are dedicated to him, including:
* Saint Bavo Cathedral, in Ghent
* Sint-Bavokerk and Cathedral of Saint Bavo, both in Haarlem
* Sint-Bavokerk in Heemstede
* Saint Bavo Church and School, in Mishawaka, Indiana

His picture is also part of the Coat of Arms of the Antwerp suburb Wilrijk.

References

*Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. "The Penguin Dictionary of Saints". 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0140513124.
* [http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/saintsb.htm Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome]

External links

*it icon [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/72575 San Bavone di Gand]