Probably born in Italy, he was one of the second group of monks Pope
Gregory sent to England to assist St Augustine, in 601 AD
In 625 AD a marriage was arranged between Edwin, King of Northumbria,
and Ethelburga, sister of King Edbald of Kent. As Ethelburga was a
Christian, Edwin agreed to allow her and her household freedom of
religion and said he would consider becoming Christian him self.
Paulinus was made a bishop and went to Northumbria with her.
The preaching of Christianity was so successful that the pagan High
Priest Coifi was converted, and this was followed by the baptism of
Edwin and his infant Daughter in 627 AD in a wooden church built by
Paulinus in York. Many nobles and people wanted baptism, and Paulinus
carried this out in the rovers Swale and Trent. James the Deacon ably
assisted him, and Christianity was spread through Yorkshire and
Lincolnshire. The stone church he built in Lincoln was used for the
consecration of Honorius, the new Archbishop of Canterbury in 628 AD
Soldiers led by King Penda of Mercia a pagan and his Christian ally
Cadwallon of Gwynedd killed Edwin at the battle of Hatfield Chase in 633
AD. Ethelburga and her little daughter went back to Kent, and Paulinus
went with her because he thought there was little future for Christianity in Northumbria. James the Deacon however stayed in North Yorkshire and continued Paulinus' work. The Archbishop of Canterbury
gave Paulinus the bishopric of Rochester where he remained for the rest of his life. The Pope made him Archbishop of York, but he never went north again.
The Venerable Bede described him as tall with a slight stoop, black
haired, with a thin face and a narrow aquiline nose. He died in 644 AD.
Five ancient churches were dedicated to him.
The Archbishop of York was a very powerful influence at court in the
Middle Ages, as he represented the North of England, and took over rule
of the Church when the Archbishop of Canterbury was out of England.
