Saint Richarius of Celles

detail of a statue of Saint Richarius of Celles in a reliquary and shrine, abbey of Saint-Riquier, France, artist unknownAlso known as

  • Ricario
  • Riquier

Memorial

Profile

Born a pagan. As a young man he protected Saints Caidoc and Fricor, Irish missionaries in danger from local non-Christians. While in hiding, the missionaries converted Richardius. He became a priest, travelling the country on a donkey and preaching the Gospel. Worked in England for several years, then returned to France to found an abbey at Centula and serve as its first abbot. When King Dagobert visited him, Richarius was so frank and blunt with his advice that the king gave him a large reward; Richarius passed it on to the poor. He was among the first to work on ransoming captives. Eventually resigned all offices to live his final years as a prayerful hermit.

Born

Died

  • 26 April 645 at Foret-Moutier, France of natural causes
  • initially buried in a hollowed-out tree because that’s all his disciple Sigobart could afford

Canonized

Additional Information

MLA Citation

  • “Saint Richarius of Celles“. CatholicSaints.Info. 26 April 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <>