Saint Bavo
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Saint Bavo, also known as Bavon, Allowin, Bavo of Ghent, and Baaf, (589 – 654) is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint.
[edit] Life
Bavo was born near Liège, Belgium, to a Frankish noble family that gave him the name Allowin. His father was Pippin of Landen, the Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia.
Wild as a youth and selfish, he was known to have sold servants to local nobles as slaves. Bavo was converted to Christianity upon hearing a sermon preached by Saint Amand. He built an abbey on his grounds and became a monk. He distributed his belongings to the poor and lived as a recluse, first in a hollow tree, later in a cell in the forest near the Abbey. He died at St. Bavo's Abbey in Ghent, in today's Belgium.
[edit] Recognition
Bavo is the patron saint of Ghent, Belgium and Haarlem, the Netherlands.
Memorial Day: October 1.
Several churches are dedicated to him, including:
- Saint Bavo Cathedral, in Ghent
- Sint-Bavokerk and Sint-Bavo Cathedral, both in Haarlem
- Sint-Bavokerk in Heemstede
His picture is also part of the Coat of Arms of the Antwerp suburb Wilrijk.
