Augustine of Canterbury was a Christian monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He was the prior of a Benedictine monastery in Rome when Pope Gregory I chose him in 595 to lead a mission, usually known as the Gregorian mission, to Britain to Christianize King Æthelberht and his Kingdom of Kent from Anglo-Saxon paganism. Born: January 1, 550 Died: May 29, 604 In office: 596 – May 29, 604 Wiki link