Saint Mellitus

Mellitus (died 24 April 624) was a significant figure in early Christian England, serving as the first bishop of London and later becoming the third archbishop of Canterbury. He arrived in England with the Gregorian mission sent to convert Anglo-Saxons from paganism to Christianity, arriving in 601 AD. Mellitus was consecrated as Bishop of London in 604 and received a famous letter from Pope Gregory I known as the Epistola ad Mellitum, which advised gradual conversion integrating pagan rituals and customs. In 610, he returned to Italy for a council of bishops before returning to England with papal letters. Exiled by pagan successors after the death of King Sæberht of Essex around 616, Mellitus sought refuge in Gaul and later returned to England when Æthelberht's successor was converted to Christianity but could not return to London due to its continued paganism.

He was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 619 and is revered for his role in the early Christian mission in England. Tradition holds that he miraculously saved the cathedral and much of the town of Canterbury from a fire during his tenure as archbishop. After his death in 624, Mellitus was recognized as a saint.