Benedict Biscop was born . He was from a noble family of Northumbrian Angles. As a young man he was a member of the court of King Oswiu of Northumbria while still young. He was a rich nobleman who had a good deal of political power. When he was twenty-five he gave up his secular life, his marriage and family and decided to join the Church. In 653 he went on a journey to Rome on a pilgrimage. He traveled with Wilfrid, who later became Bishop of York. He returned home shortly after that. He made a second trip to Rome in 664 and stayed about two months. He then retired to the island of Lérins and became a monk there. After two years he agreed to guide Theodore, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, from Rome to England. On arriving at Canterbury, Benedict became abbot of St Augustine's Abbey (also called the monastery of St. Peter and St. Paul, Canterbury). He also made a trip to Vienne to acquire a collection of books. Biscop made a fourth journey to acquire more books in 679.