An 8th-century Anglo-Saxon missionary, Willehald evangelized Frisia and Saxony under the protection of Charlemagne. After surviving several attempts at martyrdom and an exile in Echternach, he became the first Bishop of Bremen in 787. He died in 789 after a life of austerity and apostolic devotion.
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SAINT WILLEHALD, FIRST BISHOP OF BREMEN
Origins and missionary vocation
Born in Northumberland and trained in the lineage of the Venerable Bede, Willehald set out to evangelize Frisia in 782 with the consent of King Ælred.
In annuntiando verbi veritatis labor est. It is an arduous task that of the missionary who has undertaken to preach the faith. Saint Augustine . Willeha Willehald Anglo-Saxon missionary and first bishop of Bremen. ld (or Willehade), born in Northumberland, was of that noble and studious generation that the examples and lessons of the Venerable Bede brought forth on British soil. Saint Ansgar, his third successor, has made known to us the principal events of his life. 'Raised,' he says, 'from his earliest childhood in the study of divine and human letters, Willehald became a priest. It was the time when the apostolic labors of Willibrord and Saint Boniface among the id olatrous peopl saint Boniface Apostle of the Germans and model for Willehald. es of Saxony and Frisia were beginning to produce fruits of conversion and salvation. Willehald, upon hearing the account of these distant missions, felt his soul inflamed with a noble ardor. He requested and obtained from the Northumbrian King, Ælred, as well as from the Bishop of York, permission to go to Frisia to devote his life to the salvation of the idolaters. He arrived there in 782, and began his preaching at Dockum, at the very place where seventeen years earlier Saint Boniface had been martyred. He began with the apostolate of children, gathered around him all those he could reach, and little by little ended up attracting the children of the greatest families of the country. His gentle word, the example of his virtues, and his admirable devotion soon won him the hearts of these young disciples. Through them his influence grew in the circle of his relations; he thus had the happiness of founding a flourishing Christendom in that country. His apostolic ambition, exalted by success, led him to cross the Lawers (Lovete) river and penetrate into the region that is called today Overijssel, entirely populated at that time by idolaters. Arrested as a sacrilegious person, an enemy of the gods and a seducer of men, he was led, hands and feet bound, to the foot of the national idol, in the presence of an irritated crowd that was shouting cries of death. A debate began on the question of the treatment to be inflicted upon the captive. Some said that without discussion he must be slaughtered; others maintained that the stranger had committed no evil. His only wrong was not to worship the gods of the country, but he had another religion whose value no one could appreciate. It was possible that the cult practiced by Willehald was respectable. In that case, one had to be careful not to take a violent measure, at the risk of attracting the wrath of the gods through a sacrilege. The double opinion was supported on both sides with equal heat. In the impossibility of reaching an agreement, it was decided to cast lots for the life or death of the captive. The lot, directed here by the hand of God, was favorable to Willehald, who was immediately freed from his chains, but on the condition of leaving the country.
Trials and divine protections in Frisia
After successes with children, he miraculously escapes death in Over-Yssel thanks to a favorable drawing of lots, and then in Drenthe where a reliquary box protects him from a sword blow.
In Drenthe, where he withdrew, his preaching was initially better received. A number of disciples were converted by his voice, but their untimely zeal nearly cost him his life. One of them, in his neophyte ardor, had the imprudence to attack a pagan oratory with a pickaxe to demolish it. At this sight, the Barbarians rushed in a crowd, seized Willehald, bound him, and without mercy condemned him to death. A warrior drew his sword and struck with all his might at the victim's neck. At that moment, Willehald was pressing in his arms a small reliquary box suspended from his chest by a leather strap. The e petit coffret de reliques Object that miraculously protected the saint from a sword blow. dge of the sword cut the leather in two and stopped without having broken the skin of the patient. The Barbarians saw a supernatural protection in this miraculous preservation and set Willehald free. Such were the antecedents of the man of God when he was first presented to Charlemagne.
Saxon mission and exile during the revolt of Widukind
Mandated by Charlemagne to evangelize Saxony, he was forced to flee to Rome and Echternach during the insurrection of Widukind, which saw the massacre of his companions.
For a long time, the most glorious King Charles had been struggling against the race of the Saxons, whom he wished to win over to the Christian faith. Always hardened, this people would simulate a conversion, the sincerity of which they attested by oath, only to return to their ancient idolatry. Charles learned through public report of the wonders of courage and holiness accomplished by Willehald. He wished to meet him, summoned him to his court, and received him with the greatest honors. The conversation of the man of God charmed him; he admired his patience in trials, the unshakable firmness of his faith, and the purity of his morals. Such a missionary seemed to him worthy to struggle against the ferocity of the Saxons. Willehald accepted with joy the post of peril where the king wished to send him; and he departed immediately for Wigmodia, the current region of Werden and Bremen. Now, this took place in 780, a few months a fter resoun Charlemagne Emperor of the Franks and uncle of Saint Folquin. ding victories won over the Saxons by Charlemagne. The new missionary was all the better received as the sword of the King of the Franks had opened the way for him. Entire populations flocked to hear his word and ask for baptism. In every village, churches were raised; Willehald established priests there and organized the ceremonies of Christian worship. But the following year (781), all the fruit of his labors was a nnihilat Witikind Leader of the Saxons and persecutor of Christians. ed in the blink of an eye. Widukind had just proclaimed throughout all of Saxony the national war ban and the extermination of all enemies of Teutates. The missionary, warned in time by a few faithful disciples, was able to embark and reach by sea the land of the Frisians, the theater of his first apostolic labors. Less fortunate, or rather already ripe for the crown of heaven, his collaborators—the priest Folcard, Count Emming, the neophyte Benjamin, and the clerics Atrebanus and Gerwal—were massacred in hatred of the name of Jesus Christ. During the frightful war that followed the uprising of Widukind, the pious missionary made a pilgrimage to Rome. He was welcomed in Pavia by the young King Pepin as a confess or of Adrien Pope who approved the mission of Hildegrin in Saxony. the faith. The venerable Pope Adrian showered him with testimonies of affection and esteem. Upon his return to France, as the war against the Saxons was still o Epternac Retirement monastery for Willehald. ngoing, he retired to the monastery of Echternach, near Trier, where those of his disciples who had been able to escape the persecution came to join him. Two years of retreat and prayer thus passed for the servant of God. A manuscript of the Epistles of Saint Paul, the fruit of the missionary's studious leisure, was long preserved at Echternach.
First Bishop of Bremen and end of life
Consecrated Bishop of Bremen in 787 after the submission of the Saxons, he led a life of rigorous asceticism and died in 789 during a pastoral visit to Blexen.
Finally, in 785, the conversion of Widukind and the submission of the Saxons allowed Willehald and his companions in exile to resume their glorious ministry. The heart of the Saxons was broken, but it was not yet submissive. Willehald was the bee whose stingless sweetness calmed the fiercest resistance. On July 15, 787, in a national assembly held at Worms, Charlemagne, finally rewarding so much labor, had the humble missionary consecrated in his presence with the title of Bishop of Bremen. This new dign Brême Episcopal see founded by Willehad. ity only redoubled Willehald's zeal. It seemed that all his previous works were nothing in comparison to those he still wished to undertake. His mortifications, which were already excessive, knew no bounds. Pope Adrian had, however, obliged him to moderate them somewhat, by forcing him to eat fish, a dish he had renounced, as well as all kinds of meat and dairy products. Bread and water alone composed his drink and his food. Every day he celebrated the holy sacrifice of the Mass while shedding many tears, and recited all the psalms in their entirety. The people of his diocese, seeing this venerable Pontiff pass among them, believed they were seeing Jesus Christ himself in person. Christians and idolaters alike all ran to him as to living holiness. The cathedral he built in Bremen was a wooden construction, more spacious than elegant, but he wanted it to bear the name of Saint Peter, to attest to all ages his devotion to the Apostolic See and his fidelity to the Vicar of Jesus Christ. During one of his pastoral visits, which neither infirmity nor old age ever made him interrupt, he fell ill in the village of Bleckensée, today Plexem, in Frisia. One of his disciples, named Egisrik, kneeling at his bedside, said to him while w eeping: 'V Bleckensée Place of the saint's death. enerable father, do not abandon so soon the people you have won for God, do not leave this nascent flock to the fury of the wolves.' 'My son,' replied the Blessed one, 'do not delay my happiness, do not prevent me from going to enjoy the sight of God my Savior. I commend to His mercy the flock whose care He had entrusted to me, and which He will know well how to defend against the ravenous wolves.' After having spoken thus, the eyes of the holy bishop closed to the light of the mortal day, to be illuminated by the splendors of the blessed eternity (November 8, 789).
Iconography and hagiographic sources
The saint is traditionally depicted with overturned idols and an axe, symbols of his struggles against paganism and the attacks he endured.
In images of Saint Willehald, one sees: 1° overturned idols around him, to recall that he worked with Saint Boniface on the conversion of Frisia and Lower Saxony; 2° an axe, for we have indeed said that pagans attempted to strike off his head.
Abbé Darras, Histoire de l'Église, volume XVIII, page 139.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Departure for Frisia in 782 with the agreement of King Ælred
- Miraculously escapes death in Drenthe thanks to a reliquary casket
- Meeting with Charlemagne and mission in Wigmodia in 780
- Exile to the monastery of Echternach during the revolt of Widukind (781-785)
- Consecrated as Bishop of Bremen on July 15, 787, in Worms
- Construction of St. Peter's Cathedral in Bremen
Miracles
- The lot (dice) is favorable to him before the idols
- A sword blow is stopped by a reliquary box without breaking his skin
Quotes
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Do not delay my happiness, do not prevent me from going to enjoy the sight of God my Savior.
Words to his disciple Egisrik