Editing Ulrich of Augsburg

{{Short description|Bishop of Augsburg from 923 to 973}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox saint
| honorific_prefix = Saint
| name             = Ulrich of Augsburg
| titles           = [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Augsburg|Bishop of Augsburg]]
| image            = Leonhard Beck - Heiliger Ulrich (Veste Coburg).jpg
| imagesize        = 220
| caption          = Oil painting by [[Leonhard Beck]]
| birth_date       = 890<ref name=butler/>
| birth_place      = [[Kyburg, Zürich|Kyburg]], now Switzerland
| death_date       = {{death date|973|7|4|df=y}} (aged 82 or 83)
| death_place      = [[Augsburg]], [[Holy Roman Empire]]
| beatified_date   =
| beatified_place  =
| beatified_by     =
| canonized_date   = 4 July 993
| canonized_place  =
| canonized_by     = [[Pope John XV]]
| attributes       = [[Bishop]] holding a [[fish]]; at dinner with [[Saint Wolfgang]]; rewarding a messenger with a [[goose]] leg, which turns into a [[fish]] on Friday morning; giving a garment to a beggar; with [[Saint Afra]]; riding through a river on horseback as his companion sinks; with a [[cross]] given him by an [[angel]]<ref name="Stracke">{{Cite web |last1=Stracke |first1=Richard |title=Ulrich of Augsburg |url=http://www.christianiconography.info/2018various/ulrichLeftSide.html |website=Christian Iconography |date=20 October 2015}}</ref>
| patronage        = Against [[Human birth#Complications|birth complications]]; against [[faintness]]; against [[fever]]; against [[mice]] and [[Mole (animal)|moles]]; [[Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg|diocese of Augsburg, Germany]]; happy death; [[Weaver (occupation)|weavers]]; [[San Dorligo della Valle]]
| feast_day        = 4 July
| venerated_in     = [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]<br />[[Catholic Church]]
}}

'''Ulrich of Augsburg''' (890 – 4 July 973), sometimes spelled ''Uodalric'' or ''Odalrici'', was [[Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg|Prince-Bishop of Augsburg]] in the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. He was the first [[saint]] to be [[Canonization|canonised]] not by a local authority but by a [[Pope]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kemp |first1=E. W. |title=Pope Alexander III and the Canonization of Saints - The Alexander Prize Essay |journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |date=1945 |volume=27 |pages=13–28 |doi=10.2307/3678572 |issn=0080-4401 |jstor=3678572 |s2cid=159681002}}</ref>

== Life ==
=== Early years ===
Much of the information concerning Ulrich is derived from the ''Life of St Ulrich'' written by Gerhard of Augsburg sometime between 982 and 993. Ulrich was born in 890 at [[Kyburg, Zürich|Kyburg]] in present-day [[canton of Zürich]] in Switzerland. He was the son of Hupald, Count of Dillingen (d. 909) and Dietpirch of Swabia (also known as Theoberga).<ref name=schmid>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15123a.htm Schmid, Ulrich, "St. Ulrich", Catholic Encyclopedia], Vol. 15, New York, Robert Appleton Company, 1912, 25 January 2014.</ref> His maternal grandfather was Adalbert II the Illustrious, Count of [[Thurgau]]. His family was connected with the dukes of Alamannia and the [[Ottonian dynasty]]. An unnamed sister served as a nun in [[Buchau]].

As was customary, his parents presented him as an [[oblate]] to the church while he was still a child.<ref name=Abels>[https://www.usna.edu/Users/history/abels/hh315/udalrich.html Abels, Richard; "The "Church" and the Lay Aristocracy, c. 950 - The Case of Saint Ulrich of Augsburg"], USNA.</ref> A sickly child, at the age of seven he was sent to the [[abbey of St. Gall|monastery of St. Gall]], where he proved to be an excellent scholar. While there, he became friends with [[Wiborada]] – a recluse living near the monastery – who then foretold that her young friend was destined to become a bishop.<ref name=butler>[https://books.google.com/books?id=umn3JEADSTQC&pg=PA29 Butler, Alban; ''Lives of the Saints'', Liturgical Press, (1995)], p. 29 {{ISBN|9780814623770}}.</ref> He resolved to enter the priesthood but was in doubt whether to enter the Benedictine Abbey of St. Gall or to become a secular priest. Sometime before April 910, he was sent for further training to a kinsman, Adalbero von Augsburg, Bishop of Augsburg, who made him [[Chamberlain (office)|chamberlain]]. Upon Adalbero's death (28 April 910) Ulrich returned home.<ref name=schmid/> The [[Duke of Swabia]] presented him at the court of [[Henry the Fowler]], where Ulrich became one of the household retainers.

=== Bishop of Augsburg ===
[[File:Meister von Meßkirch - Linker Flügel eines Altares, Hl. Ulrich - 8696 - Bavarian State Painting Collections.jpg|thumb|160px|Left wing of an altar: St. Ulrich by the [[Master of Meßkirch|Master of Messkirch]] (1535 and 1540)]]

Through the influence of his maternal uncle, [[Burchard II, Duke of Swabia]], and other relatives, Ulrich was appointed [[bishop of Augsburg]] by Henry the Fowler and was consecrated on 28 December 923.<ref name=Tyler>[https://books.google.com/books?id=mTr53kV5riAC&dq=Bishop+Hartmann+of+Dillingen&pg=PA87 Tyler, J. Jeffery; ''Lord of the Sacred City - The Episcopus Exclusus in Late Medieval and Early Modern Germany''], Boston, [[Brill Publishers]], 1999, p. 77 {{ISBN|9789004111202}}</ref> He sought to improve the low moral and social condition of the clergy. The See of Augsburg reached the period of its greatest splendor under Ulrich; he raised the standard of training and discipline among the clergy by the reformation of existing schools and the establishment of new ones, and by canonical visitations and synods; he provided for the poor, and rebuilt decayed churches and monasteries. He built churches in honor of St. Afra and St. John and founded the monastery of St. Stephen for Benedictine nuns.<ref name=lins>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02073b.htm Lins, Joseph; "Augsburg", Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, New York, Robert Appleton Company, 1907, 25 January 2014]</ref> For purposes of obtaining relics he went on two journeys to Rome, in 910, and in 952 or 953.<ref name=schmid/> German emperor [[Otto the Great]] granted Ulrich the right to mint coins.

During the struggle between Otto and his son [[Liudolf, Duke of Swabia]], Ulrich remained loyal to Otto,<ref>[http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/religion-past-and-present/ulrich-of-augsburg-SIM_026208 Hehl, Ernst-Dieter; "Ulrich of Augsburg", Religion Past and Present, Brill Publishers, 2015, Reference, 26 March 2015]</ref> holding for him the castle of [[Schwabmünchen]], which was within the territorial jurisdiction of the Bishop of Augsburg.<ref name=Abels/> When in the summer of 954 father and son were ready to attack each other at [[Illertissen]] in [[Swabia]], at the last moment Ulrich and Bishop Hartbert of [[Chur]] were able to mediate between Otto and Liudolf. Ulrich succeeded in persuading Liudolf and [[Conrad, Duke of Lorraine]], Otto's son-in-law, to ask the king's pardon on 17 December 954.

=== Against the Magyars ===
[[File:Rueland Frueauf d. J. - Votivtafel mit hl. Anna Selbdritt und den Heiligen Leopold, Ulrich und Andreas - 4956 - Kunsthistorisches Museum.jpg|thumb|left|[[Votive offering|Votive]] tablet depicting the [[Virgin and Child with Saint Anne]] and [[Leopold III, Margrave of Austria|Saint Leopold]], Ulrich and [[Andrew the Apostle|Andrew]] by [[Rueland Frueauf the Younger]]]]

[[Hungarian invasions of Europe|Magyars repeatedly attacked]] in the territories of [[Bavaria]] and Swabia. Ulrich served as general in the defense of Augsburg. He built a stone wall fortification around the city. During these attacks many churches and buildings were destroyed, which Ulrich later rebuilt. Ulrich attended several imperial meetings and [[synod]]s, such as at [[Ingelheim]] in 948, Augsburg in 952, Rome in 972 and again at [[Ingelheim]] in 972.

Soon after, the Magyars entered Germany, plundering and burning as they went, and in 955 advanced as far as Augsburg, which they besieged. It was due to Ulrich's ability and courage that Augsburg was able to hold out against the besiegers until Emperor Otto arrived. According to his biographer Gerhard, Bishop Ulrich took the lead in the defense of the city. On the first day of the attack, Bishop Ulrich rode out to encourage the towns' soldiers in their defense of the city's gate. While the battle raged, the bishop, dressed in his ecclesiastical robes, inspired his men, with the [[Psalm 23|23rd Psalm]] ("Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death"). While this defense was going on, the King was raising an army to march south.{{sfn|Delbrück|1982|p=115}} The fiercest fighting probably took place on 8 August 955 at the eastern gate, which the Hungarians tried to storm in large numbers. The Bishop's men defended the gate bravely and killed the leader of the attack, forcing the Hungarians to withdraw. That evening Ulrich returned to the city to direct throughout the night the repair and strengthening of its walls.<ref name=Abels/> The next day the Hungarians launched a wider general attack. During the battle, Berchtold of Risinesburg arrived, which heralded the approach of the German army. At the end of the day, the siege was suspended.{{sfn|Delbrück|1982|p=678}} Ulrich's ability to hold out during the siege bought precious time for the emperor.<ref name=Tyler/>

Ulrich subsequently contributed much to the decisive victory at the [[Battle of Lechfeld]] (10 August 955), where the invaders were finally defeated.<ref name=lins/> However, Ulrich Schmid maintains that "The later assertion that Ulrich himself took part in the battle is incorrect".<ref name=schmid/>

== His character ==
[[File:Gora Oljka - Saint Ulrich.jpg|thumb|150px|Statue of S. Ulrich in a church in Gora Oljka (Slovenia)]]

Ulrich demanded a high moral standard of himself and others. A hundred years after his death, a letter apparently written by him, which opposed [[clerical celibacy in the Catholic Church|celibacy]], and supported the marriage of priests, suddenly appeared. The forger of the letter counted on the opinion of the common people, who would regard celibacy as unjust if Ulrich, known for the rigidity of his morals, upheld the marriage of priests.<ref>cf. "Analecta Boll", XXVII, 1908, 474</ref> Ulrich was also steadfastly loyal, as a prince of the empire, to the emperor. He was one of the most important props of the Ottonian policy, which rested mainly upon the ecclesiastical princes. He constantly attended the judicial courts held by the king and in the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diets]].

== Later life ==
Ulrich took part in the Diet held on 20 September 972, when he defended himself against the charge of [[nepotism]] in regard to his nephew Adalbero, whom he had appointed his coadjutor on account of his own illness and desire to retire to a Benedictine abbey.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Ulrich {{!}} German bishop |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Ulrich |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=30 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Ulrich did, in fact, resign as prince-bishop and retired to [[Ottobeuren Abbey]], where he became abbot.

As morning dawned on 4 July 973, Ulrich had ashes strewn on the ground in the shape of a cross; the cross sprinkled with [[holy water]], and he was placed upon it. His nephew Richwin came with a message and greeting from Emperor Otto II as the sun rose, and immediately upon this, while the clergy sang the Litany, Ulrich died. He was buried at the [[St. Ulrich's and St. Afra's Abbey (Augsburg)|St. Afra church]] he had rebuilt in Augsburg; the burial was performed by Bishop Wolfgang of [[Regensburg]]. Later the St. Ulrich and Afra church was built in the same spot. He was succeeded by Bishop [[Henry I (bishop of Augsburg)|Henry I]].<ref name="cath encyc">Schmid, U. (1912), St. Ulrich, Catholic Encyclopedia, New York, Robert Appleton Company, retrieved 30 June 2021 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15123a.htm</ref>

The [[Maniple (vestment)|maniple]] of Ulrich was woven in red and white [[silk]] using [[tablet weaving]] and Ulrich's [[relic]] was later analyzed by Peter Collingwood in his ''The Techniques of Tablet Weaving''; Collingwood regarded it as a "masterpiece".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Collingwood |first1=Peter |title=The Techniques of Tablet Weaving |date=1982 |publisher=[[Watson-Guptill]] |location=New York |isbn=9780823052554}}</ref>

== Veneration ==
{{Further|Ulrich cross}}
[[File:St.Ulrich am Pillersee - Deckenfresko 3b.jpg|thumb|Detail of ''Glory of Saint Ulrich of Augsburg'', a baroque fresco by Simon Benedikt Faistenberger, 1749]]

When Ulrich was too old and weak to say Mass, angels are said to have come to him to assist him. Places that were named after him are said to be host to healing abilities. Attesting to his early [[Cult (religious practice)|cultus]], there is a miniature from the tenth century in a manuscript now in the library of [[Einsiedeln Abbey|Einsiedeln]].<ref>no. 261, fol. 140</ref> Other miniatures are at the [[Bavarian State Library]], in manuscripts dating from the year 1454.<ref>Cgm. no. 94, fo. no. 26v, and Cgm. no. 751</ref>

Many [[miracle]]s are said to have been wrought at his grave; only 20 years after his death, Ulrich was canonised by [[Pope John XV]] on 4 July 993. He was the first saint to be canonised by a Pope, rather than by a local authority.<ref name=CNA>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091003084043/http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=291 "St. Ulrich of Augsburg", Catholic News Agency]</ref> [[Walter of Pontoise]] was the last saint in [[Western Europe]] to have been canonised by an authority other than the Pope; he was canonised by [[Hugh of Amiens]], the [[Archbishop of Rouen]] in 1153.<ref name="ofsnlu">William Smith, Samuel Cheetham, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=1LIPFk6oFVkC A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities]'' (Murray, 1875), 283.</ref><ref>[http://www.saint-mike.org/library/papal_library/AlexanderIII/biography.html Alexander III]</ref>

=== Patronage ===
Along with Afra and Simpert, Ulrich is a patron saint of Augsburg. Legend held that pregnant women who drank from his [[chalice]] had easy deliveries, and thus developed his patronage of pregnant women and easy births. The touch of his pastoral cross was used to heal people bitten by [[rabies|rabid]] dogs.<ref name=CNA/>

The veneration of Ulrich was carried to the Western Hemisphere by the German Catholic peasant pioneers whom [[Francis Xavier Pierz]] persuade to settle in central [[Minnesota]] following the [[Treaty of Traverse des Sioux]] in 1851. Along with [[Magnus of Füssen]], Ulrich's intercession was credited with the defeat of the 1856–1857 [[Rocky Mountain locust]] plague, and both saints continued afterwards to be venerated in and around [[Stearns County, Minnesota]], with pilgrimages and religious processions. (See also [[Assumption Chapel]]).<ref name=gross>{{Cite journal |last=Gross |first=Stephen John |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/catholic_historical_review/v092/92.2gross.pdf |title=The Grasshopper Shrine at Cold Spring, Minnesota - Religion and Market Capitalism among German-American Catholics |journal=The Catholic Historical Review |date=April 2006 |volume=92 |issue=2 |pages=215–243 |doi=10.1353/cat.2006.0133 |s2cid=159890053}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Saint-Ulrich-in-heaven.jpg|Saint Ulrich in Heaven, [[Parish church of Urtijëi]]
File:Wittislingen St. Ulrich und Martin Langhausfresko 299.JPG|The glorification of Saint Ulrich and [[Martin of Tours|Saint Martin]]
File:Saint Ulrich from Augsburg in the battle Parish church St. Ulrich in Gröden.JPG|Saint Ulrich from Augsburg in the battle, [[Parish church of Urtijëi]]
File:2019-01-27 Augsburg 019. St. Ulrich und Afra, Ulrichsgrab (46239567635).jpg|Tomb of Saint Ulrich
</gallery>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200>
File:Diözesanmuseum Rottenburg-Katalog 21-0070.jpg|Saints Ulrich of Augsburg, [[Saint Afra]] and [[Simpert]]
File:Szymon Czechowicz - Miracle of Saint Ulrich - MP 2442 - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg|Miracle of Saint Ulrich by [[Szymon Czechowicz]]
File:Hl Ulrich und Hl Wolfgang um 1510.jpg|Saint Ulrich and [[Wolfgang of Regensburg|Saint Wolfgang]], 1510
File:1744 Seeg Schlacht auf dem Lechfeld.jpg|The Battle of Lechfeld, ceiling fresco by [[Balthasar Riepp]], 1744, in the Seeg parish church
</gallery>

== Notes and references ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Attribution ===
{{Catholic|title=St. Ulrich|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15123a.htm}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{Commons category|Saint Ulrich of Augsburg}}
* {{Cite book |last=Delbrück |first=Hans |date=1982 |title=History of the Art of War |volume=Three - Medieval Warfare |location=Lincoln and London |publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]] |isbn=0-8032-6585-9}}
* Gerhard of Augsburg wrote about St. Ulrich's life, the ''Vita Sancti Uodalrici'' and several books about his miracles have been written as well.
* [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/30_10_0924-0973-_Udalricus_Augustianus_Episcopus.html Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes].

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Hiltin of Augsburg|Hiltin]]
| title  = [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Augsburg|Bishop of Augsburg]]
| years  = 923 – 973
| after  = [[Henry I of Augsburg|Henry I]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Portal bar|Saints}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulrich Of Augsburg}}
[[Category:890 births]]
[[Category:973 deaths]]
[[Category:10th-century bishops in Bavaria]]
[[Category:Medieval German saints]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Augsburg]]
[[Category:10th-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:History of Augsburg]]