Heimerad
Encyclopedia
Saint Heimerad (b. about 970 in Messkirch near the Bodensee in Baden
; d. 28 June 1019 on the Hasunger Berg (now Burghasungen) near Kassel
) was a German
priest and travelling preacher, popularly revered as a holy fool.
, Italy
and Palestine
. After his return to Germany he became a monk in Hersfeld Abbey
, but was expelled after a dispute about wearing the order's clothing. Nor was he accepted in the monastery at Paderborn
. Because of his conspicuous and unusual way of life he was driven from several places, and became more and more desolate. At length he found a site for a hermitage on the Hasunger Berg
(today Burghasungen in Zierenberg
). At first mocked and scorned even there, with the passage of time he came to be revered as a saint and his advice was sought by the great: he was acquainted with the Empress Kunigunde, Bishop Meinwerk of Paderborn
and Aribo, Archbishop of Mainz
. He died in 1019, on 28 June, which is his feast day.
The main source for his life is the biography written by the monk Ekkebert of Hersfeld between 1072 and 1090.
Aribo, Archbishop of Mainz, had a church built over Heimerad's grave on the Hasunger Berg two years after his death, in 1021, which served as the nucleus of Hasungen Abbey
, founded in 1074. Pilgrimages to his grave reached their high point in the second half of the 11th century, when Hasungen ranked as the most visited place of pilgrimage in Germany next to the grave of Sebaldus
in Nuremberg
. In later centuries, especially after the dissolution of Hasungen Abbey in the 16th century, veneration of Heimerad tailed off drastically.
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
; d. 28 June 1019 on the Hasunger Berg (now Burghasungen) near Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
priest and travelling preacher, popularly revered as a holy fool.
Life
Born of unfree parents, Heimerad undertook pilgrimages in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. After his return to Germany he became a monk in Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse , Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda.-History:...
, but was expelled after a dispute about wearing the order's clothing. Nor was he accepted in the monastery at Paderborn
Paderborn
Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
. Because of his conspicuous and unusual way of life he was driven from several places, and became more and more desolate. At length he found a site for a hermitage on the Hasunger Berg
Hasungen Abbey
Hasungen Abbey was a monastery of the Benedictine Order located at Burghasungen, now a part of Zierenberg in Hesse in Germany....
(today Burghasungen in Zierenberg
Zierenberg
Zierenberg is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 19 km east of Bad Arolsen, and 15 km northwest of Kassel on the German Framework Road.-External links:*...
). At first mocked and scorned even there, with the passage of time he came to be revered as a saint and his advice was sought by the great: he was acquainted with the Empress Kunigunde, Bishop Meinwerk of Paderborn
Meinwerk, Bishop of Paderborn
Blessed Meinwerk was the Bishop of Paderborn from 1009 until his death.He was a member of the aristocratic Immedinger family and was granted his see on the understanding that his property would pass to the diocese on his death...
and Aribo, Archbishop of Mainz
Aribo, Archbishop of Mainz
Aribo was the Archbishop of Mainz from 1021 until his death. He was Primate of Germany during the succession of Conrad II.Aribo disputed with the Diocese of Hildesheim the jurisdictional right over Gandersheim Abbey, but Pope Benedict VIII found in favour of Hildesheim, a ruling which Aribo...
. He died in 1019, on 28 June, which is his feast day.
The main source for his life is the biography written by the monk Ekkebert of Hersfeld between 1072 and 1090.
Aribo, Archbishop of Mainz, had a church built over Heimerad's grave on the Hasunger Berg two years after his death, in 1021, which served as the nucleus of Hasungen Abbey
Hasungen Abbey
Hasungen Abbey was a monastery of the Benedictine Order located at Burghasungen, now a part of Zierenberg in Hesse in Germany....
, founded in 1074. Pilgrimages to his grave reached their high point in the second half of the 11th century, when Hasungen ranked as the most visited place of pilgrimage in Germany next to the grave of Sebaldus
Sebaldus
St. Sebaldus of Nuremberg is venerated as the patron saint of Nuremberg, traditional administrative centre of Franconia, and the guarantor of its independence...
in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. In later centuries, especially after the dissolution of Hasungen Abbey in the 16th century, veneration of Heimerad tailed off drastically.