- Altmann of Passau
Altmann of Passau, often called Saint or Blessed Altmann (born about 1015; died
8 August 1091 ) was a founder of monasteries andBishop of Passau . He is venerated as a saint, but not officially canonised.He was born between 1013 and 1020 in
Westphalia to a family of the greater nobility ofSaxony . He was educated at the cathedral school atPaderborn , of which he later became director. He was also aprebendary inAachen , court chaplain to Emperor Henry III and a canon inGoslar .In 1065 he became Bishop of Passau and began reforms of the clergy. In 1070 he founded St. Nicholas' Abbey in
Passau as a monastery of theCanons Regular and in 1083Göttweig Abbey inLower Austria , which in 1094 became a Benedictine monastery. He also reformed the existing monasteries of St. Florian,Kremsmünster Abbey , Melk and St. Pölten, and had stone churches built at all of them.In 1074 he announced the reforms of
Pope Gregory VII , whom he supported in the subsequentInvestiture Controversy . In 1076 neither he nor Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg took part in the Reichstag of Worms and, also like Gebhard, Altmann supported the counter-kingRudolf of Swabia .He was driven from Passau by supporters of Emperor Henry IV, who in 1077/1078 laid the town waste.
Altmann attended the synods of 1079 and 1080 in
Rome , was appointedPapal legate forGermany , and was able to win theBabenberger Leopold II of Austria over to the Papal party. In 1085 the Emperor deposed him as Bishop of Passau, after which he spent most of his time in the territory of the Babenbergers.He died in
Zeiselmauer inLower Austria and is buried in the church of Göttweig Abbey. He is venerated as a saint, although never officially canonised. His feast day is8 August .References
*Boshof, Egon, 2003: "Altmann von Passau". In: "Lexikon der Heiligen und der Heiligenverehrung". (A-H) 1. Band. Freiburg i. B.: Herder. ISBN 3-451-28191-0
*Oswald, J., 1957: "Altmann". In: "Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche". 2nd ed., vol. 1. Freiburg i. B.: Herder.
*Tomek, Ernst, 1935-39: "Kirchengeschichte Österreichs". Innsbruck - Wien - München: Tyrolia.
*Tropper, C., 1983: "Der heilige Altmann". In: "900 Jahre Stift Göttweig 1083-1983. Ein Donaustift als Repräsentant benediktinischer Kultur". (Exhibition catalogue) Göttweig.
*Wodka, Josef, 1959: "Kirche in Österreich. Wegweiser durch ihre Geschichte". Vienna: Herder.
*Anon., 1929: "Der heilige Altmann. Kleine historische Monographien".
*Anon., 1965: "Der heilige Altmann Bischof von Passau".External links
*de icon [http://www.mittelalter-genealogie.de/mittelalter/bistuemer/passau/altmann_bischof_von_passau_+_1091.html Mittelalter-Genealogie]
*de icon [http://www.heiligenlexikon.de/index.htm?BiographienA/Altmann_von_Passau.html Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon]
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