Feastday: July 15
Death: 1080
Benedictine bishop, born in England and sometimes called David of Muntorp. He went as a missionary to Sweden to aid Bishop Sigfrid of Vaxio, who had lost his three missionary nephews. Sigfrid sent David to Vastmanland, and there David founded a monastery at Munktorp or Monkentorp. He ruled that monastery as abbot until becoming the bishop of Vasteras.
For the patron saint of Wales, see Saint David.
David of Munktorpstatue on the baptismal font in Munktorp Church
Saint David of Munktorp (David av Munktorp) was an Anglo-Saxon Cluniac monk of the 11th century.
David was sent as a missionary to Sweden by Saint Sigfrid of Växjö along with Saint Botvid and Saint Eskil. The missionaries David, Eskil, and Botvid preached chiefly in Södermanland and Västmanland, in the area of Lake Mälaren.
Munktorp Church Västmanland County
Sweden
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). Munktorp Church is in Västerås diocese, northeast of Köping, Sweden.
David became known as the Västmanland apostle (Västmanlands apostel). David sought to become a martyr but 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".
