Wikipedia:Today's featured list/October 3, 2011

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Statue of Augustine of Canterbury from Canterbury Cathedral
Statue of Augustine of Canterbury from Canterbury Cathedral

A group of Italian monks and priests was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to Britain in the late 6th and early 7th centuries to convert and Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism. Most of the known members of the Gregorian mission became bishops or archbishops, and all but one of the remainder, James the Deacon, became abbots: as his name implies, James never rose beyond the rank of deacon. Among the archbishops were the first five Archbishops of Canterbury: Augustine (statue pictured), Laurence, Mellitus, Justus, and Honorius; all were later canonized as saints. Two other missionaries, Paulinus and Romanus, became bishops. As well as the five archbishops, three other members of the mission are regarded as saints: Peter, James the Deacon, and Paulinus. (Full list...)