Rupert of Salzburg

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Rupert of Salzburg (? - 710) is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and a founder of the Austrian city of Salzburg.

Rupert of Salzburg, in mitre
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Rupert of Salzburg, in mitre

He was a Frank and bishop of Worms until around 697, at which point he was sent to become a missionary to Regensburg in Bavaria. There, he first baptized Duke Theodo, whose permission was necessary for further missionary work, and then baptized a number of the nobles. After such success, Rupert moved on to Altötting and converted the locals. He soon had converted a large area of the Danube River. As well as converting the locals, Rupert introduced education and other reforms. He promoted the salt mines of Salzburg, then a ruined Roman town of Juvavum, and made it his base and renamed the place "Salzburg." He reportedly died on Easter Sunday around 710. In the Roman Catholic Church, his feast day is March 27.