Eoban

Saint Eoban was bishop of Utrecht, a companion of Saint Boniface, and died, killed at Dokkum on 5 June 754, together with Boniface, on their last missionary journey to Frisia. In Germany he is venerated as bishop and martyr. Our sources call him a holy hieromartyr and give the commemoration as 5 June and 7 July. They cite no Orthodox act of canonization, so we regard him as a saint of the undivided Church in the West.

Little is known of him apart from what the Life of Boniface says. He was apparently an English priest who came to Germany together with Boniface. Willibald's Life lists him in 753 as chorbishop. The Fulda martyrology and the third Life of Boniface mention him as a bishop. He led the diocese of Utrecht, as successor of Bishop Wera.

According to the Life of Boniface written by Willibald, on the morning of 5 June 754 Boniface and fifty companions, among whom Eoban was presumably included (the Life names none of the companions), were killed at Dokkum, in the Netherlands, by pagan Frisians. Eoban's successor at Utrecht was Bishop Gregory.

After 756 the relics of the bishops of Utrecht Eoban and Adalar were moved to the monastery of Fulda and buried beside Saint Boniface. Before 1100 they were moved to Erfurt. It is believed that the veneration of the companions of Boniface began at Erfurt then. The sarcophagus with the relics of the saints Adalar and Eoban in Erfurt cathedral dates from about 1350. Erfurt became a special place of veneration of the saints Eoban and Adalar. Saint Eoban is venerated also in England, and Niccolò Circignani painted him among the English saints and martyrs in the English College in Rome. His cult was of importance to English Catholics.