Merchant, pilgrim and a hermit : Godoric of Finchale and his unusual way to sanctity

Streszcz. ang.

Godric of Finchale (ca. 1065/1069-1170) was born in a peasant family in Walpole. He was a merchant who achieved great economic success and became a rich man. As a grown-up man he decided to become an independent recluse at Finchale, but after a few years he was assimilated into the community of monks of Durham. Godric spent around 50 years at Finchale and stayed there until his death. His ascetic life gained him the fame of ‘a saint man’. Before the end of the 12th century monks of Durham prepared three hagiographic texts about Godric. The authors concentrated not only on his life as a hermit but also put emphasis on the period when he was hard working very successfull and rich merchant who used to pray and visit holy places. Medieval hagiographers usually omitted in their texts the episodes which did not prove sanctity of their heroes, so it can be presumed that in the opinion of monks of Durham, Godric’s hard work and economic success were the first steps on his way to sanctity. Such statements in hagiographic texts written before the end of the 12th century allows us to treat the monks of Durham as the pioneers of new churchmen’s attitude to the growing merchant class.