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Bishop Henry or Saint Henry (Piispa Henrik or Pyhä Henrik in Finnish) (died January 20 1156) is claimed to have been an English-born bishop of Uppsala, who according to a legend was martyred by Lalli in Finland during a mission journey. Many modern historians see Bishop Henry as merely a fictional figure; there being no contemporary or even near-contemporary records referring to him. Henry is said to have come to Sweden in 1153 with the papal legate Nicolas Breakspear (the future Pope Adrian IV) and was made bishop of Uppsala. When Erik the Holy, king of Sweden, decided to take a small armed force to help convert Finns to Christianity, he took Bishop Henry with him. Very soon after arriving on Finnish soil, however, he was martyred. According to a folk tradition of medieval origin, the killer was called Lalli, most likely a rich man who owned a manor. Henry was never officially canonized, but from the late 13th century onwards he became the patron saint of Finland.
Traditions of Henry Very few facts are known about Henry's life and death, if he ever existed. The Life of St. Henry was written around 1300 CE, but it is a highly uncertain source. Also a medieval folk poem called the "Piispa Henrikin surmavirsi" (The death-lay of Bishop Henry), following the Kalevala metre, has survived as a 17th century litteration. Also some medieval sculptures and paintings illustrate the Henry traditions. According to the folk poem, Lalli's wife Kerttu alleged to him that upon leaving the manor, their ungrateful guest had without permission or recompense through violence taken food for himself and hay for his horse. This is supposed to have enraged Lalli so that he immediately grabbed his skis and went in pursuit of the thief, finally chasing Henry down on the ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi. There he killed him on the spot with an axe. Bishop Henry's body was buried at Nousiainen. The legend of St. Henry describes the anonymous killer as a miscreant and a criminal who, when reprimanded by Bishop Henry for his deeds, became enraged and killed the man. The annual feast day of bishop Henry was 20 January, according to tradition the day of his death. Heavenly retribution Medieval folk traditions enumerate the pestilences and misfortunes which befell Lalli after his "treacherous slaying" of the holy benefactor of the miserable Finnish pagans who were "twice removed" from the grace afforded by knowledge of Christ. His hair and scalp are said to have fallen out as he took off the bishop's cap, taken as a trophy. Furthermore, he is said to have been constantly nibbled by mice, which finally caused him such distress that he ran into a lake and drowned himself. Political use of the legend This legend of Finnish ingratitude was much expanded upon by preachers to justify later harsh measures they took to ensure that Finnish conversions to Christianity were not mere words, but that they sincerely and unreservedly accepted church authority. Bishop Henry took the status of holy martyr, and Finnish folk revered him as a saint. Henry was allegedly buried in Nousiainen, from where his bones - or at least something that was thought to be his bones - were translated to Turku in 1300. However, the medieval church of Nousiainen was later adorned with a grandiose 15th century cenotaph of Bishop Henry. Most of the bones in Turku were apparently lost after being removed by Russian soldiers in 1720. However, it is generally acknowledged that a piece of his ulna had been placed in Bishop Hemminki's reliquarium that was built in 1514 and treasured in the Cathedral of Turku. Also enclosed was a piece of parchment stating the bone belonged to Henry. During the restoration work of the cathedral, the relic was relocated to the National Board of Antiquities. In the 1990s, the National Board of Antiquities claimed the relic as its own on the basis of the Finnish law on ancient objects and was contradicted by the Cathedral Parish of Turku. However, the Board let the bone be relocated in the Cathedral of Saint Henry in Helsinki, the oldest church in the modern Catholic diocese of Finland. Since then, the bone has been located inside the altar of the cathedral. | ||||||||
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