Laurence of Canterbury

Saint Laurence
Archbishop of Canterbury
Gravestone marking the site of Laurence's burial in St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury
Appointed	c. 604
Term ended	2 February 619
Predecessor	Augustine of Canterbury
Successor	Mellitus
Orders
Consecration	c. 604 by Augustine of Canterbury
Personal details
Died	2 February 619
Buried	St Augustine's Abbey
Sainthood
Feast day	3 February
Venerated in	Orthodox Church[1] Roman Catholic Church Anglican Communion
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Shrines	St Augustine's Abbey

Laurence^[a] (died 2 February 619) was the second Archbishop of Canterbury, serving from about 604 to 619. He was a member of the Gregorian mission sent from Italy to England to Christianise the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, although the date of his arrival is disputed. He was consecrated archbishop by his predecessor, Augustine of Canterbury, during Augustine's lifetime, to ensure continuity in the office. While archbishop, he attempted unsuccessfully to resolve differences with the native British bishops by corresponding with them about points of dispute. Laurence faced a crisis following the death of King Æthelberht of Kent, when the king's successor abandoned Christianity; he eventually reconverted. Laurence was revered as a saint after his death in 619.

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