Saint Willibald
Stored in Cargo: Saint Willibald
| Saint Willibald | |
| Feast Day | July 07 |
|---|---|
| Liturgical Class | |
| Patronage | Travelers, pilgrims, Eichstätt |
| Birthplace | Wessex, England |
| Death Place | Eichstätt, Franconia |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes |
| Primary Shrine | Saint Willibald Cathedral, Eichstätt, Germany |
Saint Willibald (October 21, 700 – July 7, 787), also known as Willebald, was an Anglo-Saxon saint, Benedictine monk, missionary, and bishop of Eichstätt, renowned as the first known Englishman to visit the Holy Land. Born in Wessex, England, to Saint Richard the Pilgrim and Saint Wuna, he was the brother of Saint Winnebald and Saint Walburga and a cousin of Saint Boniface. At age five, after surviving a near-fatal illness, he entered Waltham Abbey, Hampshire. In 722, he embarked on a pilgrimage to Rome with his father and brother, during which his father died in Lucca. Willibald continued to Jerusalem (724–726), documenting his travels in the *Hodoeporicon*, the earliest English travelogue, dictated to a nun, Huneberc. Captured by Saracens in Emesa as a spy, he was released and visited holy sites across Palestine, Syria, and Constantinople. He spent ten years (729–739) at Monte Cassino, serving as sacristan, dean, and porter, aiding its restoration. In 740, Pope Gregory III sent him to assist Boniface in Germany, where he was ordained a priest (741) and consecrated bishop of Eichstätt (742). With his siblings, he founded the double monastery at Heidenheim in 752. He died of natural causes in Eichstätt in 787. Canonized pre-Congregation, his feast day is July 7. He is patron of travelers, pilgrims, and Eichstätt.[1][2]
His relics are preserved in a marble reliquary at Saint Willibald Cathedral, Eichstätt, completed in 1269. The *Hodoeporicon*, a vivid account of 8th-century Holy Land pilgrimage, remains a key historical source. Willibald’s missionary work in Franconia, alongside Boniface, established Eichstätt as a center of Christianity, and his Heidenheim monastery influenced regional monasticism.[3][4]
Biography
Birth
Saint Willibald was born on October 21, 700, in Wessex, England, to Saint Richard the Pilgrim, a chieftain, and Saint Wuna, reportedly a sister of Saint Boniface. His siblings, Saint Winnebald and Saint Walburga, also became saints, marking his family as notably devout.[1][4]
Early Life
At three, Willibald survived a severe illness after his parents vowed to dedicate him to God. At five, he entered the Benedictine monastery at Waltham, Hampshire, under Abbot Egwald, where he studied and embraced the Anglo-Saxon ideal of *peregrinatio religiosa* (pious rootlessness). His education fostered a zeal for pilgrimage.[2][5]
Occupation
Willibald was a monk, pilgrim, missionary, and bishop. In 722, he began a pilgrimage to Rome with his father and brother. After his father’s death in Lucca, he continued to the Holy Land (724–726), visiting Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem, enduring capture by Saracens in Emesa. He spent ten years at Monte Cassino, aiding its restoration under Saint Petronax. In 740, Pope Gregory III sent him to Germany, where Boniface ordained him priest (741) and bishop (742), assigning him to Eichstätt.[1][6][7]
Vocation
Willibald’s vocation was pilgrimage, monastic reform, and evangelization. His *Hodoeporicon*, dictated to Huneberc, details his Holy Land travels, visiting sites like the Church of the Nativity and enduring hardships like starvation. At Monte Cassino, he strengthened Benedictine discipline. In Eichstätt, he converted pagans, built churches, and founded the Heidenheim double monastery with Winnebald and Walburga, fostering Franconia’s Christianization.[8][9]
Death
Willibald died on July 7, 787, of natural causes in Eichstätt, Franconia, aged 86. His relics were enshrined in a marble reliquary at Saint Willibald Cathedral, Eichstätt, completed in 1269, where they remain a pilgrimage focus.[3][5]
Significant events
- Survived near-fatal illness, 703.
- Entered Waltham Abbey, 705.
- Began pilgrimage to Rome, 722.
- Visited Holy Land, 724–726.
- Joined Monte Cassino, 729.
- Ordained priest by Boniface, July 22, 741.
- Consecrated bishop of Eichstätt, October 21, 742.
- Founded Heidenheim monastery, 752.
- Died in Eichstätt, July 7, 787.[1][2]
Significant locations
Legend
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Death location: None
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Parishes
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Canonization
Servant of God
Willibald’s recognition as a Servant of God began soon after his death, with miracles reported at his Eichstätt tomb. His cult grew through the *Hodoeporicon* and Norbertine testimony.[2]
Venerable
No formal Venerable declaration was recorded, as his sainthood was established pre-Congregation through widespread devotion in Franconia.[1]
Beatification
No distinct beatification process existed, as his missionary work and relics fostered early veneration.[3]
Canonization
Willibald was canonized through pre-Congregation processes, with no recorded date or canonizer. His feast day, July 7, is observed in the Roman Martyrology, though in England, by concession of Pope Leo XIII, it is July 9.[2][10]
Miracles
No specific miracles were required for canonization, but his survival of Saracen captivity and perilous travels was seen as providential. Posthumous healings at his tomb were reported.[9]
Miracle for beatification
No miracle was formally documented, as his veneration predates modern processes.[2]
Miracle for canonization
No miracle was required, per Church norms for missionaries.[3]
Other notable miracles
- Survival of Saracen imprisonment, 724.
- Safe completion of Holy Land pilgrimage, 726.[6]
Patronage
Saint Willibald is patron of travelers, pilgrims, and Eichstätt, reflecting his extensive journeys and bishopric.[11][4]
Feast day
His feast day is celebrated on July 7 in the Roman Catholic Church, or July 9 in England by papal concession, marking his death.[10]
Veneration
Willibald is venerated through pilgrimages to Saint Willibald Cathedral, Eichstätt, where his relics rest. His image, often with a bishop’s mitre or pilgrim’s staff, adorns churches in Franconia. Feast day Masses honor his missionary zeal and the *Hodoeporicon*’s historical value. The Heidenheim monastery, led by Walburga after Winnebald’s death, continues his legacy of evangelization.[8][3]
Books
Written about the saint
- The Anglo-Saxon Missionaries in Germany by C. H. Talbot[12]
- Lives of the Saints, Vol. VI by Alban Butler[2]
- Hodoeporicon of St. Willibald by W. R. Brownlow[12]
Written by the saint
- None recorded, though he dictated the *Hodoeporicon* to Huneberc.[1]
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Willibald". Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willibald.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Sts. Willibald and Winnebald". New Advent. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15644c.htm.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Saint Willibald of Eichstätt". CatholicSaints.Info. https://catholicsaints.info/saint-norbert-of-xanten/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Saint of the Day – 7 July – St Willibald of Eichstatt". Anastpaul. 2021-07-07. https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/07/saint-of-the-day-7-july-st-willibald-of-eichstatt-c-700-787/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Saint Willibald of Eichstatt". Find the Saint. 2022-08-20. https://findthesaint.com/2022/08/20/saint-willibald-of-eichstatt/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "St. Willibald". Salve Maria Regina. https://salvemariaregina.info/Saints/St.Willibald.html.
- ↑ "Feast of St. Petronax of Monte Cassino". @ChgoCatholicSoc. 2025-05-06. https://x.com/ChgoCatholicSoc/status/1796917510523457826.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Willibald". Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803122346781.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Willibald". Catholic Saints Day. 2023-07-11. https://catholicsaints.day/st-willibald/.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Willibald and Winnebald, Saints". Catholic Answers. 2018-11-19. https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/willibald-and-winnebald-saints/.
- ↑ "St. Willibald". Catholic Online. https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3724.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Willibald of Eichstätt, St.". Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/willibald-eichstatt-st.