Saint Henry

Henry was born in 973, son of the Duke of Bavaria, and was educated by Saint Wolfgang, bishop of Regensburg. He succeeded his father as duke in 995, became King of Germany in 1002 and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Benedict VIII in Rome in 1014. He married Cunegund of Luxembourg, who is also venerated as a saint; they had no children.

Henry worked to keep peace in his lands, defended the Church and supported its reform, encouraging the renewal of monasteries in the spirit of Cluny. In 1007 he founded the diocese of Bamberg, building its cathedral, which became the center of his life. He was generous to the poor and was devoted to prayer, and tradition says he once wished to become a monk. He died at Grone, near Göttingen, on July 13, 1024, and was buried in Bamberg Cathedral. Pope Eugene III canonized him in 1146.

Bamberg, in Germany, honors him and Saint Cunegund as patrons of the city and archdiocese; their tomb, carved by Tilman Riemenschneider, stands in the cathedral. Benedictine oblates, lay people who follow the spirit of Saint Benedict in the world, also look to him as their patron.