Bardo (c. 980 – 10/11 June 1051) was the

Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...

from 1031 until 1051, the Abbot of Werden from 1030 until 1031, and the Abbot of Hersfeld in 1031. Bardo was born in Oppershofen in the

Wetterau The Wetterau is a fertile undulating tract, watered by the Wetter, a tributary of the Nidda River, in the western German state of Hesse, between the hilly province Oberhessen and the north-western Taunus mountains. Bettina von Arnim writes of ...

. He was educated and trained at the

Abbey of Fulda The Abbey of Fulda (German ''Kloster Fulda'', Latin ''Abbatia Fuldensis''), from 1221 the Princely Abbey of Fulda (''Fürstabtei Fulda'') and from 1752 the Prince-Bishopric of Fulda (''Fürstbistum Fulda''), was a Benedictine abbey and ecclesiasti ...

, where he was selected to be the deacon and provost of Neuenberg in 1018. Towards the end of March in 1029 the Emperor

Conrad Conrad may refer to: People * Conrad (name) Places United States * Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Iowa, a city * Conrad, Montana, a city * Conrad Glacier, Washington ...

visited Fulda, who appointed him in the following year the Abbot of Werden. He was said to have taken special attention to the obedience of the monks and quality of their service, and he established a hospitality and care service for those injured in war. In early in 1031 Bardo was transferred to become the abbot of Hersfeld, and by May 30 was again transferred to become the Archbishop of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

following the death of Aribo. As archbishop, Bardo is said to have spent much of his time in the company of the

Salian Emperors The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the l ...

. He completed the

Mainz Cathedral , native_name_lang = , image = Mainzer Dom nw.jpg , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt = , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize = , relief = , map caption = , iso regi ...

in 1037. In 1041 he accompanied King Henry the Black on campaign against Bohemia. He consecrated the churches and chapels in the vacant sees of Germany, and he presided over the Synod of Mainz in 1049 in the presence of Henry which denounced

simony Simony () is the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to im ...

and

priest marriage Clerical marriage is practice of allowing Christian clergy (those who have already been ordained) to marry. This practice is distinct from allowing married persons to become clergy. Clerical marriage is admitted among Protestants, including both ...

. Bardo and Henry met again in May 1051 in

Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and ''Born'', an old German term for th ...

. On the return to Mainz he fell ill and died at modern Oberdorla, and was buried in

. He is venerated as a saint in Mainz, feastday June 10.https://dcms.bistummainz.de/bm/dcms/sites/dioezesan/heiligenportal/uebersicht/bardo.html 'Der Heilige wird in der Diözese Mainz, besonders in seiner Heimat Oberhessen, verehrt.'

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bardo Archbishops of Mainz German abbots Burials at Mainz Cathedral 980s births 1051 deaths Year of birth uncertain