Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg

Life story

Wolfgang was born in Swabia, around 924 or 934 depending on the source. He studied at the abbey of Reichenau and then at Würzburg and Trier, where he taught in the cathedral school. Around 964 he entered the abbey of Einsiedeln in Switzerland, was put in charge of the monastery school. He was sent on a mission to Hungary, but with little result.

In 972 the emperor chose him as bishop of Regensburg. Wolfgang gave priority to reform: he brought reformed monks into the abbey of St Emmeram, separated the abbey's administration from the bishop's, and promoted discipline among the diocesan clergy. Around 973–975 he agreed to let Bohemia be detached from his diocese, which made the creation of the see of Prague possible. Sources recall him for his plain way of life and his concern for the poor.

He often withdrew to a remote spot by the Abersee lake, now called the Wolfgangsee, in Austria, to live as a hermit. On 31 October 994, while travelling through Austria, he fell ill and died at Pupping near Linz. His body was brought to Regensburg and buried in the church of St Emmeram. In 1052 Pope Leo IX declared him a saint. His feast is 31 October, and many churches in Bavaria and Austria bear his name.

Pilgrimage churches arose at Sankt Wolfgang on the lake and elsewhere, and his image, usually shown with a church model and an axe, became familiar in Bavarian and Austrian art. The famous altarpiece at Sankt Wolfgang im Salzkammergut, made by Michael Pacher in the 1470s, honours him.

Works and witness

• Taught at the Trier cathedral school, then became a monk of Einsiedeln
• Appointed bishop of Regensburg in 972
• Reformed St Emmeram abbey and clergy discipline
• Ceded Bohemia so the diocese of Prague could be founded around 973–975
• Canonised by Pope Leo IX in 1052

Saints from the same country

Saint Ambrose, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Saint Bruno of Cologne

References

• Vita Sancti Wolfgangi (Othloh of St Emmeram)
• Martyrologium Romanum
• Encyclopaedia Britannica – Saint Wolfgang

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.