Saint Bernward of Hildesheim

Bernward (c. 960–1022) came from a noble Saxon family and was chosen to tutor the young Emperor Otto III. In 993 he became bishop of Hildesheim, where he defended his city, cared for the poor and built the beautiful Church of Saint Michael. A gifted artist himself, he ran workshops that produced splendid books, metalwork and the famous bronze doors showing scenes from Genesis and the life of Christ. Shortly before his death he took the habit of a Benedictine monk, and he was canonized in 1192.

The bronze doors and column he commissioned, along with Saint Michael's Church, are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Hildesheim. He is buried in the crypt of Saint Michael's.