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{{Short description|German saint}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{For|places named after the saint|Sankt Wolfgang (disambiguation)}}
{{For|places named after the saint|Sankt Wolfgang (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox saint
{{Infobox saint
| name = Saint Wolfgang
| honorific_prefix = [[Saint]]
| birth_date = {{circa}} 934
| name = Wolfgang
| death_date = {{Death date|994|10|31|mf=yes}}
| birth_date = {{circa|934}}
| feast_day = October 31
| death_date = {{Death date|994|10|31|df=yes}}
| venerated_in = [[Roman Catholic Church]]<br>[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]
| feast_day = 31 October
| venerated_in = [[Catholic Church]]<br>[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]
| image = Pfarrkirche Liesing - Wolfgang.jpg
| image = Pfarrkirche Liesing - Wolfgang.jpg
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
| caption = Saint Wolfgang, stained glass, Parish Church in Leising
| caption = Saint Wolfgang, stained glass, Parish Church in Leising
| birth_place =
| birth_place = [[Holy Roman Empire]]
| death_place =
| death_place =
| titles = The Almoner
| titles = The Almoner
Line 16: Line 18:
| beatified_place =
| beatified_place =
| beatified_by =
| beatified_by =
| canonized_date = October 8, 1051
| canonized_date = 1052 AD
| canonized_place =
| canonized_place =
| canonized_by = [[Pope Leo IX]]
| canonized_by = [[Pope Leo IX]]
Line 28: Line 30:
}}
}}


'''Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg''' ({{lang-la|Wolfgangus}}; {{circa}} 934 – October 31, 994 AD) was [[bishop of Regensburg]] in [[Bavaria]] from Christmas 972 until his death. He is a [[saint]] of the [[Roman Catholic]] ([[Canonization|canonized]] in 1052) and [[Eastern Orthodox]] churches. He is regarded as one of the three great [[Germany|German]] saints of the 10th century, the other two being [[Ulrich of Augsburg|Saint Ulrich]] and Saint [[Conrad of Constance]].
'''Wolfgang of Regensburg''' ({{langx|la|Wolfgangus}}; {{circa}} 934 – 31 October 994 AD) was [[bishop of Regensburg]] in [[Bavaria]] from Christmas 972 until his death. He is a [[saint]] in the [[Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox]] churches. He is regarded as one of the three great [[Germany|German]] saints of the 10th century, the other two being [[Ulrich of Augsburg]] and [[Conrad of Constance]]. Towards the end of his life Wolfgang withdrew as a [[hermit]] to a solitary spot, in the [[Salzkammergut]] region of [[Upper Austria]]. Soon after Wolfgang's death many churches chose him as their [[patron saint]], and various towns were named after him.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Wolfgang was descended from the family of the [[Swabia]]n Counts of [[Pfullingen]] (''[[Monumenta Germaniae Historica|Mon. Germ. His.]]: Script.'', X, 53). When seven years old, he had an ecclesiastic as tutor at home; later he attended the celebrated monastic school at [[Reichenau Island|Reichenau Abbey]].<ref name=Foley>[http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1185 Foley OFM, Leonard. "St. Wolfgang of Regensburg", ''Saint of the Day'', (revised by Pat McCloskey OFM), Franciscan Media]</ref> Here he formed a strong friendship with [[Henry of Babenberg]], brother of Bishop [[Bishopric of Wurzburg|Poppo of Würzburg]], whom he followed to Würzburg in order to attend the [[lecture]]s of the noted Italian [[Philologist|grammarian]], Stephen of [[Novara]], at the cathedral school.
Wolfgang was descended from the family of the [[Swabia]]n Counts of [[Pfullingen]]. When seven years old, he had an ecclesiastic as a tutor at home; later he attended the celebrated monastic school at [[Reichenau Island|Reichenau Abbey]].<ref name=Foley>[http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1185 Foley, Leonard. "St. Wolfgang of Regensburg", ''Saint of the Day'', Franciscan Media]</ref> Here he formed a strong friendship with [[Henry of Babenberg]], brother of Bishop [[Bishopric of Wurzburg|Poppo of Würzburg]], whom he followed to Würzburg in order to attend the [[lecture]]s of the noted Italian [[Philologist|grammarian]] Stephen of [[Novara]] at the cathedral school.


After Henry was made Archbishop of [[Trier]] in 956, he summoned Wolfgang, who became a teacher in the cathedral school of Trier, and also laboured for the reform of the archdiocese,<ref name=Foley/> despite the hostility with which his efforts were met. Wolfgang's residence at Trier greatly influenced his monastic and [[asceticism|ascetic]] tendencies, as here he came into contact with the great reform monastery of the 10th century, [[St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier]], where he made the acquaintance of Saint [[Romuald]], the teacher of Saint [[Adalbert of Prague]].
After Henry was made Archbishop of [[Trier]] in 956, he summoned Wolfgang, who became a teacher in the cathedral school of Trier, and also labored for the reform of the archdiocese,<ref name=Foley/> despite the hostility with which his efforts were met. Wolfgang's residence at Trier greatly influenced his monastic and [[asceticism|ascetic]] tendencies, as here he came into contact with the great reform monastery of the 10th century, [[St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier]], where he made the acquaintance of Ramuold, the teacher of Saint [[Adalbert of Prague]].


After the death of Archbishop Henry of Trier in 964, Wolfgang entered the [[Order of St. Benedict|Benedictine order]] in the [[Einsiedeln Abbey|Abbey of Maria Einsiedeln]], [[Switzerland]],<ref name=Foley/> and was [[ordination|ordained]] priest by [[Ulrich of Augsburg|Saint Ulrich]] in 968.
After the death of Archbishop Henry of Trier in 964, Wolfgang entered the [[Order of St. Benedict|Benedictine order]] in the [[Einsiedeln Abbey|Abbey of Maria Einsiedeln]], [[Switzerland]],<ref name=Foley/> and was [[ordination|ordained]] priest by [[Ulrich of Augsburg|Saint Ulrich]] in 968.


==Mission to the Magyars==
==Mission to the Magyars==
After their defeat in the [[Battle of the Lechfeld]] (955), the heathen [[Hungarians]] settled in ancient [[Pannonia]]. As long as they were not [[religious conversion|converted]] to [[Christianity]] they remained a constant menace to the empire.
After their defeat in the [[Battle of the Lechfeld]] (955), [[Hungarians]] settled in ancient [[Pannonia]], where they remained a constant menace to the empire. At the request of Ulrich, who clearly saw the danger, and at the desire of the Emperor [[Otto the Great]], Wolfgang, according to the abbey annals, was "sent to the Hungarians" as the most suitable man to evangelize them.<ref name=Schmid>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15682b.htm Schmid, Ulrich. "St. Wolfgang." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 4 January 2023 {{PD-notice}}</ref>


⚫
He was followed by other [[missionary|missionaries]] sent by [[Piligrim]], [[Bishop of Passau]], under whose jurisdiction the new missionary region came.<ref name=Schmid/>
At the request of Ulrich, who clearly saw the danger, and at the desire of the Emperor [[Otto the Great]], Wolfgang, according to the abbey annals, was "sent to the Hungarians" as the most suitable man to evangelize them.

⚫
He was followed by other [[missionary|missionaries]] sent by [[Piligrim]], [[Bishop of Passau]], under whose jurisdiction the new missionary region came.


==Bishop of Regensburg==
==Bishop of Regensburg==
[[File:Wolfgang of Regensburg.jpg|thumb|upright|Saint Wolfgang altar painting, c.1490]]
[[File:Wolfgang of Regensburg.jpg|thumb|upright|Saint Wolfgang altar painting, made {{Circa|1490|lk=no}}]]
After the death of Bishop Michael of Regensburg (September 23, 972) Bishop Piligrim obtained from the emperor the appointment of Wolfgang as the new bishop ([[Christmas]], 972). Wolfgang's services in this new position were of the highest importance, not only for the diocese, but also for the cause of civilization. As Bishop of Regensburg, Wolfgang became the tutor of Emperor Saint [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry II]], who learned from him the principles which governed his saintly and energetic life.<ref name=SHMI>{{cite book|author=Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI|title=My First Book of Saints|year=1997|publisher=Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate - Quality Catholic Publications|isbn=971-91595-4-5|pages=148|chapter=St. Henry}}</ref> Poppe, son of [[Margrave]] Luitpold, [[Archbishop of Trier]] (1018), and [[Tagino, Archbishop of Magdeburg]] (1004&ndash;1012), also had him as their teacher.
After the death of Bishop Michael of Regensburg (23 September 972) Bishop Piligrim obtained from the emperor the appointment of Wolfgang as the new bishop ([[Christmas]] 972). Wolfgang's services in this new position were of the highest importance. As Bishop of Regensburg, Wolfgang became the tutor of Emperor Saint [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry II]], who learned from him the principles which governed his life.<ref name=SHMI>{{cite book|author=Paolo O. Pirlo|title=My First Book of Saints|year=1997|publisher=Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate - Quality Catholic Publications|isbn=971-91595-4-5|pages=148|chapter=St. Henry}}</ref> Poppe, son of [[Margrave]] Luitpold, [[Archbishop of Trier]] (1018), and [[Tagino, Archbishop of Magdeburg]] (1004&ndash;1012), also had him as their teacher.<ref name=Schmid/>


Wolfgang deserves credit for his disciplinary labours in his diocese. His main work in this respect was connected with the ancient and celebrated [[St. Emmeram's Abbey]], which he reformed by granting it once more abbots of its own, thus withdrawing it from the control of the bishops of Regensburg, who for many years had been abbots ''[[in commendam]]'', a condition of affairs that had been far from beneficial to the abbey and monastic life. In the Benedictine monk Romuald, whom Saint Wolfgang called from Saint Maximin at Trier, Saint Emmeram received a capable abbot (975).
Wolfgang deserves credit for his disciplinary labours in his diocese. His main work in this respect was connected with the ancient and celebrated [[St. Emmeram's Abbey]], which he reformed by granting it once more abbots of its own, thus withdrawing it from the control of the bishops of Regensburg, who for many years had been abbots ''[[in commendam]]'', a condition of affairs that had been far from beneficial to the abbey and monastic life. He was one of the first German bishops to do this, and his example in this was much copied across Germany in the years following. In the Benedictine monk Ramuold, whom Wolfgang called from Saint Maximin at Trier, Saint Emmeram received a capable abbot (975).


The saint also reformed the convents of [[Obermünster]] and [[Niedermünster]] at Regensburg, chiefly by giving them as an example the convent of St. Paul, Mittelmünster, at Regensburg, which he had founded in 983. He also co-operated in the reform of the ancient and celebrated Benedictine Abbey of [[Niederaltaich Abbey|Niederaltaich]], which had been founded by the [[Agilolfing]]er dynasty, and which from that time took on new life.
Wolfgang was an advocate of the monastic reforms of [[Gorze Abbey]] which aimed at a reestablishing adherence to the [[Rule of St. Benedict]]. He also reformed the convents of [[Obermünster]] and [[Niedermünster]] at Regensburg, chiefly by giving them as an example the convent of St. Paul, Mittelmünster, at Regensburg, which he had founded in 983. He also cooperated in the reform of the ancient and celebrated Benedictine Abbey of [[Niederaltaich Abbey|Niederaltaich]], which had been founded by the [[Agilolfing]]er dynasty, and which from that time took on new life.


He showed genuine episcopal generosity in the liberal manner with which he met the views of the Emperor [[Otto II]] regarding the intended reduction in size of his diocese for the benefit of the new Diocese of [[Prague]] (975), to which [[Adalbert of Prague|Saint Adalbert]] was appointed first bishop. As prince of the empire he performed his duties towards the emperor and the empire with the utmost scrupulousness and, like Saint Ulrich, was one of the mainstays of the [[Ottonian]] policies.
He showed genuine episcopal generosity in the liberal manner with which he met the views of the Emperor [[Otto II]] regarding the intended reduction in size of his diocese for the benefit of the new Diocese of [[Prague]] (975), to which [[Adalbert of Prague]] was appointed first bishop.<ref name=Agasso/> As prince of the empire he performed his duties towards the emperor and the empire with the utmost scrupulousness and, like Ulrich, was one of the mainstays of the [[Ottonian]] policies.


He took part in the various imperial [[Diet (assembly)|diet]]s, and, in the autumn of 978, accompanied the Emperor Otto II on his campaign to [[Paris]], and took part in the Diet of [[Verona]] in June 983. He was succeeded by [[Gebhard I, Bishop of Regensburg|Gebhard I]].
He took part in the various imperial [[Diet (assembly)|Diet]]s, and, in the autumn of 978, accompanied the Emperor Otto II on his campaign to [[Paris]], and took part in the Diet of [[Verona]] in June 983. He was succeeded by [[Gebhard I, Bishop of Regensburg|Gebhard I]].<ref>Bernhardt, John W., ''Itinerant Kingship and Royal Monasteries in Early Medieval Germany, c. 936–1075''. 1993, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 102, n.62]</ref>


==Hermitage and death==
==Hermitage and death==
[[File:Pupping - Gedenkstein fürn hl. Wolfgang.JPG|thumb|upright|Memorial stone regarding the place of death of St. Wolfgang]]
Towards the end of his life Saint Wolfgang withdrew as a [[hermit]] to a solitary spot, now the [[Wolfgangsee]] (''"Wolfgang's Lake"'') in the [[Salzkammergut]] region of [[Upper Austria]], apparently on account of a political dispute, but probably in the course of a journey of inspection to [[Mondsee Abbey]] which was under the direction of the bishops of Regensburg. He was discovered by a hunter and brought back to Regensburg.
Apparently on account of a political dispute between Duke [[Henry II of Bavaria]] and Emperor [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto II]], Wolfgang spent a year at Mondsee in 976. From there he withdrew as a [[hermit]] to a solitary spot, now the [[Wolfgangsee]] (''"Wolfgang's Lake"'') in the [[Salzkammergut]] region of [[Upper Austria]]. He was discovered by a hunter and brought back to Regensburg.


While travelling on the [[Danube]] to [[Pöchlarn]] in [[Lower Austria]], he fell ill at the village of [[Pupping]], which is between [[Eferding]] and the market town of [[Aschach an der Donau|Aschach]] near [[Linz]], and at his request was carried into the chapel of [[Saint Othmar]] at Pupping, where he died.
While travelling on the [[Danube]] to [[Pöchlarn]] in [[Lower Austria]], he fell ill at the village of [[Pupping]], which is between [[Eferding]] and the market town of [[Aschach an der Donau|Aschach]] near [[Linz]], and at his request was carried into the chapel of [[Saint Othmar]] at Pupping, where he died.<ref name=Agasso/>


His body was taken up the Danube by his friends Count Aribo of [[Andechs]] and Archbishop Hartwich of [[Salzburg]] to Regensburg, and was solemnly buried in the crypt of Saint Emmeram. Many [[miracle]]s were performed at his grave; in 1052 he was canonized.
His body was taken up the Danube by his friends Count Aribo of [[Andechs]] and Archbishop Hartwich of [[Salzburg]] to Regensburg, and was solemnly buried in the crypt of Saint Emmeram. Many [[miracle]]s were reported at his grave; in 1052 he was canonized.


==Veneration==
==Veneration==
[[Image:Michael Pacher 004.jpg|thumb|upright|Saint Wolfgang and the devil]]
[[File:Detail hl. Wolfgang.JPG|thumb|upright|Saint Wolfgang as depicted in the [[Kefermarkt altarpiece]]]]
Soon after Wolfgang's death many churches chose him as their [[patron saint]], and various towns were named after him.
Soon after Wolfgang's death many churches chose him as their [[patron saint]], and various towns were named after him.


Wolfgang is sometimes counted among the [[Fourteen Holy Helpers]]. He is the patron saint of woodcutters.<ref name=Agasso>[http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/75850 Agasso, Domenico. "San Volfango di Ratisbona", Santi e Beati, February 1, 2001]</ref>
⚫
In [[Christian art]] he has been especially honoured by the great medieval [[County of Tyrol|Tyrol]]ean painter, [[Michael Pacher]] (1430&ndash;1498), who created an imperishable memorial to him, the high altar of [[St. Wolfgang (village)|St. Wolfgang]]. In the panel pictures which are now exhibited in the [[Alte Pinakothek|Old Pinakothek]] at [[Munich]] are depicted in an artistic manner the chief events in the saint's life.


⚫
In [[Christian art]] he has been especially honoured by the medieval [[County of Tyrol|Tyrol]]ean painter [[Michael Pacher]] (1430&ndash;1498), who created an imperishable memorial to him, the high altar of [[St. Wolfgang (village)|St. Wolfgang]]. In the panel pictures which are now exhibited in the [[Alte Pinakothek|Old Pinakothek]] at [[Munich]] are depicted in an artistic manner the chief events in the saint's life. The [[Kefermarkt altarpiece]] in [[Kefermarkt]] in [[Upper Austria]] is another monumental Late Gothic piece of art dedicated to the saint.
⚫
The oldest portrait of Saint Wolfgang is a [[miniature (illuminated manuscript)|miniature]], painted about the year 1100 in the celebrated Evangeliary of Saint Emmeram, now in the library of the castle cathedral at [[Kraków]].


⚫
The oldest portrait of Wolfgang is a [[miniature (illuminated manuscript)|miniature]], painted about the year 1100 in the Evangeliary of Saint Emmeram, now in the library of the castle cathedral at [[Kraków]].
⚫
A fine modern picture by [[Moritz von Schwind|Schwind]] is in the [[Schackgalerie|Schack Gallery]] at Munich. This painting represents the [[legend]] of Wolfgang forcing the [[devil]] to help him to build a church.

⚫
A modern picture by [[Moritz von Schwind|Schwind]] is in the [[Schackgalerie|Schack Gallery]] at Munich. This painting represents the [[legend]] of Wolfgang forcing the [[devil]] to help him to build a church.


In other paintings he is generally depicted in episcopal dress, an [[axe]] in the right hand and the [[crozier]] in the left, or as a hermit in the wilderness being discovered by a hunter.
In other paintings he is generally depicted in episcopal dress, an [[axe]] in the right hand and the [[crozier]] in the left, or as a hermit in the wilderness being discovered by a hunter.


The axe refers to an incident in the life of the saint. After having selected a solitary spot in the wilderness, he prayed and then threw his axe into the thicket; the spot on which the axe fell he regarded as the place where [[God]] intended he should build his [[Monastery|cell]]. This axe is still shown in the little market town of [[St. Wolfgang (village)|St. Wolfgang]] which sprang up on the spot of the old cell.
The axe refers to an incident in the life of the saint. After having selected a solitary spot in the wilderness, he prayed and then threw his axe into the thicket; the spot on which the axe fell he regarded as the place where [[God in Christianity|God]] intended he should build his [[Monastic cell|cell]]. This axe is still shown in the little market town of [[St. Wolfgang (village)|St. Wolfgang]] which sprang up on the spot of the old cell.

Saint Wolfgang is sometimes counted among the [[Fourteen Holy Helpers]].


==Literature==
==Literature==
At the request of the Abbey of St. Emmeram, the life of Saint Wolfgang was written by [[Otloh of St. Emmeram|Otloh]], a Benedictine monk of St. Emmeram about 1050. This life is especially important for the early medieval history both of the church and of civilization in [[Bavaria]] and [[Austria]], and it forms the basis of all later accounts of the saint.
At the request of the Abbey of St. Emmeram, the life of Wolfgang was written by [[Otloh of St. Emmeram|Otloh]], a Benedictine monk of St. Emmeram about 1050. This life is especially important for the early medieval history both of the church and of civilization in [[Bavaria]] and [[Austria]], and it forms the basis of all later accounts of the saint.

⚫
The oldest and best manuscript of this ''Vita'' is in the library of [[Einsiedeln Abbey]] in [[Switzerland]] (MS. No. 322), and has been printed with critical notes in ''Mon. Germ. His.: Script.'', IV, 524–542.


==See also==
⚫
The oldest and best manuscript of this ''Vita'' is in the library of [[Einsiedeln Abbey]] in [[Switzerland]] (MS. No. 322), and has been printed with critical notes in ''Mon. Germ. His.: Script.'', IV, 524-542.
* [[Portal:Catholicism/Patron Archive/October 31|Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg, patron saint archive]]


==References==
==References==
Line 90: Line 94:
*{{Catholic|first=Ulrich |last=Schmid|wstitle=St. Wolfgang}} This entry cites:
*{{Catholic|first=Ulrich |last=Schmid|wstitle=St. Wolfgang}} This entry cites:
**''Der heilige Wolfgang, Bischof von Regensburg; historische Festschrift zum neunhundertjährigen Gedächtnisse seines Todes'', ed., in connection with numerous historical scholars, by [[Johann Baptist Mehler|MEHLER]] (Ratisbon, 1894), among the chief collaborators on this work being BRAUNMULLER, RINGHOLZ (of Einsiedeln), and DANNERBAUER; KOLBE, Die Verdienste des Bischofs Wolfgang v. R. um das Bildungswesen Suddeutschlands. Beitrag z. Gesch. der Padogogik des X und XI Jahrhunderis (Breslau, 1894);
**''Der heilige Wolfgang, Bischof von Regensburg; historische Festschrift zum neunhundertjährigen Gedächtnisse seines Todes'', ed., in connection with numerous historical scholars, by [[Johann Baptist Mehler|MEHLER]] (Ratisbon, 1894), among the chief collaborators on this work being BRAUNMULLER, RINGHOLZ (of Einsiedeln), and DANNERBAUER; KOLBE, Die Verdienste des Bischofs Wolfgang v. R. um das Bildungswesen Suddeutschlands. Beitrag z. Gesch. der Padogogik des X und XI Jahrhunderis (Breslau, 1894);
**WATTENBACH, Deutschlands Geschichtsquellen im Mittelalter, I (Berlin, 1904), 449-452;
**DETZEL, Christl.
**Iknographie, II (Freiburg, 1896), 683;
**POTTHAST, Bibl. medii aevi, II (Berlin, 1896), 1641.


==External links==
==External links==
Line 102: Line 102:
* {{DDB|Person|118634887|Wolfgang, Heiliger}}
* {{DDB|Person|118634887|Wolfgang, Heiliger}}
* {{HLS|10206|Wolfgang|author=Ernst Tremp}}
* {{HLS|10206|Wolfgang|author=Ernst Tremp}}
* http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/75850
* {{DNB-Portal|118634887}}
* {{DNB-Portal|118634887}}
* {{Germania Sacra|118634887|Wolfgang}}
* {{Germania Sacra|118634887|Wolfgang}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfgang Of Regensburg}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfgang Of Regensburg}}
[[Category:Medieval German saints]]
[[Category:Medieval German saints]]
[[Category:10th-century bishops]]
[[Category:10th-century bishops in Bavaria]]
[[Category:German Benedictines]]
[[Category:German Benedictines]]
[[Category:10th-century German people]]
[[Category:10th century in Hungary]]
[[Category:10th century in Hungary]]
[[Category:Christian missionaries in Hungary]]
[[Category:Christian missionaries in Hungary]]
[[Category:Regensburg]]
[[Category:930s births]]
[[Category:924 births]]
[[Category:994 deaths]]
[[Category:994 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials at St. Emmeram's Abbey]]
[[Category:Burials at St. Emmeram's Abbey]]
[[Category:10th-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:10th-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Regensburg]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Regensburg]]
[[Category:German Roman Catholic saints]]

Latest revision as of 02:16, 1 November 2024

For places named after the saint, see Sankt Wolfgang (disambiguation).
Saint

Wolfgang
Saint Wolfgang, stained glass, Parish Church in Leising
The Almoner
Bornc. 934
Holy Roman Empire
Died(994-10-31)31 October 994
Venerated inCatholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Canonized1052 AD by Pope Leo IX
Feast31 October
Attributesdepicted with an axe in the right hand and the crozier in the left; or as a hermit in the wilderness being discovered by a hunter.
Patronageapoplexy; carpenters and wood carvers; paralysis; Regensburg, Germany; stomach diseases; strokes

Wolfgang of Regensburg (Latin: Wolfgangus; c. 934 – 31 October 994 AD) was bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria from Christmas 972 until his death. He is a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. He is regarded as one of the three great German saints of the 10th century, the other two being Ulrich of Augsburg and Conrad of Constance. Towards the end of his life Wolfgang withdrew as a hermit to a solitary spot, in the Salzkammergut region of Upper Austria. Soon after Wolfgang's death many churches chose him as their patron saint, and various towns were named after him.

Early life

[edit]

Wolfgang was descended from the family of the Swabian Counts of Pfullingen. When seven years old, he had an ecclesiastic as a tutor at home; later he attended the celebrated monastic school at Reichenau Abbey.[1] Here he formed a strong friendship with Henry of Babenberg, brother of Bishop Poppo of Würzburg, whom he followed to Würzburg in order to attend the lectures of the noted Italian grammarian Stephen of Novara at the cathedral school.

After Henry was made Archbishop of Trier in 956, he summoned Wolfgang, who became a teacher in the cathedral school of Trier, and also labored for the reform of the archdiocese,[1] despite the hostility with which his efforts were met. Wolfgang's residence at Trier greatly influenced his monastic and ascetic tendencies, as here he came into contact with the great reform monastery of the 10th century, St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier, where he made the acquaintance of Ramuold, the teacher of Saint Adalbert of Prague.

After the death of Archbishop Henry of Trier in 964, Wolfgang entered the Benedictine order in the Abbey of Maria Einsiedeln, Switzerland,[1] and was ordained priest by Saint Ulrich in 968.

Mission to the Magyars

[edit]

After their defeat in the Battle of the Lechfeld (955), Hungarians settled in ancient Pannonia, where they remained a constant menace to the empire. At the request of Ulrich, who clearly saw the danger, and at the desire of the Emperor Otto the Great, Wolfgang, according to the abbey annals, was "sent to the Hungarians" as the most suitable man to evangelize them.[2]

He was followed by other missionaries sent by Piligrim, Bishop of Passau, under whose jurisdiction the new missionary region came.[2]

Bishop of Regensburg

[edit]
Saint Wolfgang altar painting, made c. 1490

After the death of Bishop Michael of Regensburg (23 September 972) Bishop Piligrim obtained from the emperor the appointment of Wolfgang as the new bishop (Christmas 972). Wolfgang's services in this new position were of the highest importance. As Bishop of Regensburg, Wolfgang became the tutor of Emperor Saint Henry II, who learned from him the principles which governed his life.[3] Poppe, son of Margrave Luitpold, Archbishop of Trier (1018), and Tagino, Archbishop of Magdeburg (1004–1012), also had him as their teacher.[2]

Wolfgang deserves credit for his disciplinary labours in his diocese. His main work in this respect was connected with the ancient and celebrated St. Emmeram's Abbey, which he reformed by granting it once more abbots of its own, thus withdrawing it from the control of the bishops of Regensburg, who for many years had been abbots in commendam, a condition of affairs that had been far from beneficial to the abbey and monastic life. He was one of the first German bishops to do this, and his example in this was much copied across Germany in the years following. In the Benedictine monk Ramuold, whom Wolfgang called from Saint Maximin at Trier, Saint Emmeram received a capable abbot (975).

Wolfgang was an advocate of the monastic reforms of Gorze Abbey which aimed at a reestablishing adherence to the Rule of St. Benedict. He also reformed the convents of Obermünster and Niedermünster at Regensburg, chiefly by giving them as an example the convent of St. Paul, Mittelmünster, at Regensburg, which he had founded in 983. He also cooperated in the reform of the ancient and celebrated Benedictine Abbey of Niederaltaich, which had been founded by the Agilolfinger dynasty, and which from that time took on new life.

He showed genuine episcopal generosity in the liberal manner with which he met the views of the Emperor Otto II regarding the intended reduction in size of his diocese for the benefit of the new Diocese of Prague (975), to which Adalbert of Prague was appointed first bishop.[4] As prince of the empire he performed his duties towards the emperor and the empire with the utmost scrupulousness and, like Ulrich, was one of the mainstays of the Ottonian policies.

He took part in the various imperial Diets, and, in the autumn of 978, accompanied the Emperor Otto II on his campaign to Paris, and took part in the Diet of Verona in June 983. He was succeeded by Gebhard I.[5]

Hermitage and death

[edit]
Memorial stone regarding the place of death of St. Wolfgang

Apparently on account of a political dispute between Duke Henry II of Bavaria and Emperor Otto II, Wolfgang spent a year at Mondsee in 976. From there he withdrew as a hermit to a solitary spot, now the Wolfgangsee ("Wolfgang's Lake") in the Salzkammergut region of Upper Austria. He was discovered by a hunter and brought back to Regensburg.

While travelling on the Danube to Pöchlarn in Lower Austria, he fell ill at the village of Pupping, which is between Eferding and the market town of Aschach near Linz, and at his request was carried into the chapel of Saint Othmar at Pupping, where he died.[4]

His body was taken up the Danube by his friends Count Aribo of Andechs and Archbishop Hartwich of Salzburg to Regensburg, and was solemnly buried in the crypt of Saint Emmeram. Many miracles were reported at his grave; in 1052 he was canonized.

Veneration

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Saint Wolfgang as depicted in the Kefermarkt altarpiece

Soon after Wolfgang's death many churches chose him as their patron saint, and various towns were named after him.

Wolfgang is sometimes counted among the Fourteen Holy Helpers. He is the patron saint of woodcutters.[4]

In Christian art he has been especially honoured by the medieval Tyrolean painter Michael Pacher (1430–1498), who created an imperishable memorial to him, the high altar of St. Wolfgang. In the panel pictures which are now exhibited in the Old Pinakothek at Munich are depicted in an artistic manner the chief events in the saint's life. The Kefermarkt altarpiece in Kefermarkt in Upper Austria is another monumental Late Gothic piece of art dedicated to the saint.

The oldest portrait of Wolfgang is a miniature, painted about the year 1100 in the Evangeliary of Saint Emmeram, now in the library of the castle cathedral at Kraków.

A modern picture by Schwind is in the Schack Gallery at Munich. This painting represents the legend of Wolfgang forcing the devil to help him to build a church.

In other paintings he is generally depicted in episcopal dress, an axe in the right hand and the crozier in the left, or as a hermit in the wilderness being discovered by a hunter.

The axe refers to an incident in the life of the saint. After having selected a solitary spot in the wilderness, he prayed and then threw his axe into the thicket; the spot on which the axe fell he regarded as the place where God intended he should build his cell. This axe is still shown in the little market town of St. Wolfgang which sprang up on the spot of the old cell.

Literature

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At the request of the Abbey of St. Emmeram, the life of Wolfgang was written by Otloh, a Benedictine monk of St. Emmeram about 1050. This life is especially important for the early medieval history both of the church and of civilization in Bavaria and Austria, and it forms the basis of all later accounts of the saint.

The oldest and best manuscript of this Vita is in the library of Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland (MS. No. 322), and has been printed with critical notes in Mon. Germ. His.: Script., IV, 524–542.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Foley, Leonard. "St. Wolfgang of Regensburg", Saint of the Day, Franciscan Media
  2. ^ a b c Schmid, Ulrich. "St. Wolfgang." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 4 January 2023 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Paolo O. Pirlo (1997). "St. Henry". My First Book of Saints. Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate - Quality Catholic Publications. p. 148. ISBN 971-91595-4-5.
  4. ^ a b c Agasso, Domenico. "San Volfango di Ratisbona", Santi e Beati, February 1, 2001
  5. ^ Bernhardt, John W., Itinerant Kingship and Royal Monasteries in Early Medieval Germany, c. 936–1075. 1993, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 102, n.62]
Attribution
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Schmid, Ulrich (1913). "St. Wolfgang". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. This entry cites:
    • Der heilige Wolfgang, Bischof von Regensburg; historische Festschrift zum neunhundertjährigen Gedächtnisse seines Todes, ed., in connection with numerous historical scholars, by MEHLER (Ratisbon, 1894), among the chief collaborators on this work being BRAUNMULLER, RINGHOLZ (of Einsiedeln), and DANNERBAUER; KOLBE, Die Verdienste des Bischofs Wolfgang v. R. um das Bildungswesen Suddeutschlands. Beitrag z. Gesch. der Padogogik des X und XI Jahrhunderis (Breslau, 1894);
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