St. Bede The Venerable

St. Bede (672 – 26 May 735) was an English monk, scholar, and author. He was renowned as one of the greatest teachers and writers of the Early Middle Ages. His most famous work, “Ecclesiastical History of the English People,” earned him the title “The Father of English History.” Bede spent most of his life at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in Northumbria, but he also traveled extensively across the British Isles, visiting various abbeys and monasteries. He made significant contributions to fields such as biblical commentary, theology, and the calculation of calendar dates. He helped popularize the practice of dating forward from the birth of Christ (Anno Domini—in the year of our Lord), a practice which eventually became commonplace in medieval Europe. Pope Leo XIII declared Bede a Doctor of the Church in 1899, recognizing his profound impact on English Christianity.