David of Munktorp

{{Short description|Anglo-Saxon Cluniac monk and saint (d. 1082)}}

{{For|the patron saint of Wales|Saint David}}

{{Infobox saint

|honorific-prefix=Saint

|name=David of Munktorp

|honorific-suffix=OSB

|birth_date=

|death_date=1082

|feast_day=June 25

|venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
Lutheranism

|image= David_Overselo.png

|imagesize= 250px

|caption= Saint David in Överselö church

|birth_place= England

|death_place= Sweden

|titles=Abbot

|attributes= Abbot's staff, book, biretta

}}

Image:David_Munktorp.png

Saint David of Munktorp (David av Munktorp) was an Anglo-Saxon Cluniac monk of the 11th century.[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14347a.htm Sweden (The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912)]

David was sent as a missionary to Sweden by Saint Sigfrid of Växjö along with Saint Botvid and Saint Eskil.Scriptores Rerum Suecicarum Medii Aevi, vol II, part i, pp. 389-404. especially p. 392 (Eskil) and 410 (David). The missionaries David, Eskil, and Botvid preached chiefly in Södermanland and Västmanland, in the area of Lake Mälaren.[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05538b.htm Eskil (The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company)], retrieved 2008-05-15{{Cite web |url=http://www.koping.se/kopingtemplates/Page.aspx?id=5845 |title=Munktorp (Köpings kommun) |access-date=2010-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818030924/http://www.koping.se/kopingtemplates/Page.aspx?id=5845 |archive-date=2010-08-18 |url-status=dead |df= }}

Image:Munktorp.jpg

David is associated with Munktorp, a village situated in Köping Municipality, in Västmanland County. He reportedly originated Munktorp Church (Munktorps kyrka). The original church structures are known as David's Church (Davidskyrkan). There is an ancient carving of St. David. Munktorp Church is in Västerås diocese, northeast of Köping, Sweden.{{Cite web |url=http://www.koping.se/kopingtemplates/Page.aspx?id=859 |title=Munktorps kyrka (Köpings kommun) |access-date=2010-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820165700/http://www.koping.se/kopingtemplates/Page.aspx?id=859 |archive-date=2010-08-20 |url-status=dead |df= }}

David became known as the Västmanland apostle (Västmanlands apostel).

An oral tradition about David of Munktorp, as retold by Grau in 1754 states that St David was so holy that he could hang his gloves on the sun rays.[https://saints.dh.gu.se/explore/cults/297 "Mapping Saints", University of Gothenburg] David died peacefully in 1082 of old age. After his death, his remains were buried in Munktorps kyrka.

According to the Västerås breviary, David came to evangelize in Sweden in order to become a martyr. It further says that David "wandered among villages and towns, preaching the word of God and baptizing the converted, kept nightly prayer vigils, committing to God with tears and sighs his plentiful offspring, which he had thus born in the Lord".[http://sok.riksarkivet.se/sbl/Presentation.aspx?id=17204 David (Riksarkivet)]