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Æthelberht
King of Kent from 589
SaintFull write-upKingdom of KentPre-congregation
Feast: 25 February (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
552
Died
612
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
At Canterbury in England, Saint Æthelberht, king of Kent, whom the bishop Saint Augustine converted to the faith of Christ, the first among the English princes.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Roman Martyrology remembers him on 24 February as the king of Kent converted by Saint Augustine, the first English prince to receive the faith.
Connected on this site
- Æthelburh of Kent Saint Child
- Gregory I Saint“Bertha's influence may have led to Pope Gregory I's decision to send Augustine as a missionary from Rome.” — Wikipedia
Sources
- Roman Martyrology, 24 February (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q272173 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Æthelberht of Kent (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.