Heribert of Cologne

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Heribert of Cologne
Born c. 970, Worms
Died March 16, 1021, Cologne
Venerated in Roman Catholicism
Canonized 1075
Major shrine Deutz
Feast March 16 
Patronage Rain
Saints Portal

Saint Heribert (c. 970 – 16 March 1021) was Archbishop of Cologne and Chancellor of Emperor Otto III, and was canonized c. 1074.

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[edit] Life

He was born in Worms, the son of Hugo, count of Worms. He was educated in the school of Worms Cathedral and at the Benedictine Gorze Abbey in Lorraine. He returned to Worms Cathedral to be provost and was ordained a priest in 994.

In the same year Otto III appointed him chancellor for Italy and four years later also for Germany, a position which he held until Otto's death on 23 January 1002. Heribert accompanied Otto to Rome in 996 and again in 997, and was still in Italy when he was elected Archbishop of Cologne. At Benevento he received investiture and the pallium from Pope Sylvester II on 9 July 999, and on the following Christmas Day he was consecrated at Cologne.

In 1002, he was present at the death-bed of the emperor at Paterno. While returning to Germany with the emperor's remains and the imperial insignia, he was held captive for some time by the future Henry II, whose candidacy he at first opposed, but whom he served faithfully subsequently.

In 1003 Heribert founded the Abbey of Deutz on the Rhine, where, when he died in Cologne on March 16, 1021, he was buried.

[edit] Veneration

Heribert was already honoured as a saint during his lifetime, and was canonized by Pope Gregory VII in about 1074. His reported miracles includ­ed ending a drought; he is thus invoked for rains.

His relics were kept in the abbey church in a golden shrine, which is now preserved in the parish church of Neu-St.Heribert in Köln-Deutz.

His feast day is celebrated on 16 March, his private feast day on 12 October.

[edit] References

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.

[edit] External links


Preceded by
Ebergar
Archbishop of Cologne
999-1021
Succeeded by
Pilgrim