St. Richard of Chichester

St. Richard of Chichester (1197 – 3 April 1253), also known as Richard de Wych, is a saint (canonized 1262) who was Bishop of Chichester. St. Richard’s private life was supposed to have displayed rigid frugality and temperance. Richard was an ascetic who wore a hair-shirt and refused to eat off silver. He kept his diet simple and rigorously excluded animal flesh; having been a vegetarian since his days at Oxford. He was merciless to usurers, corrupt clergy and priests who mumbled the Mass. He was also a stickler for clerical privilege. Many miracles were wrought at St. Richard’s tomb in Chichester cathedral, which was long a popular place of pilgrimage, and in 1262, just 9 years after his death, he was canonized at Viterbo by Pope Urban IV.