Coloman of Stockerau (; ; died 18 October 1012) was an Irish
saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
. While on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he was mistaken for a spy and hanged near Vienna.
Life
Originally known as Colmán (variously rendered Koloman, Kálmán, Colman, and Colomannus), he was an Irish pilgrim en route to the
Holy Land
The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...
and was mistaken for a
spy because of his strange appearance. He was tortured and hanged at
Stockerau, near Vienna, Austria, on 16 July 1012.
Monks of Ramsgate. "Colman". //Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 11 October 2012
/ref> Later tradition has it that he was "a son of Máel-Sechnaill (d. 1022), high king of Ireland." (Breen, 2009)
At the time of his death, there were continual skirmishes among Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, Moravia
Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The medieval and early ...
, and Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
. Coloman spoke no German, so he could not give an understandable account of himself. He was hanged alongside several robbers.
According to Aidan Breen, "He was made a saint by the local people, possibly out of remorse for the deed and because of his endurance under torture and the many miracles reported from where his body was buried." (Breen, 2009)
Veneration
On 13 October 1014, his relics were transferred to the Abbey of Melk by Bishop Megingard at the request of Marquis Henry of Austria. Decades later, they were taken to Hungary. Coleman became the object of a popular cult, and many churches and chapels in Austria, the Electorate of the Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...
, Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, and Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
were dedicated to him. He is also venerated in Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
.
A legend states that Coloman's body remained incorruptible for eighteen months, remaining undisturbed by birds and beasts. The scaffolding itself is said to have taken root and to have blossomed with green branches, one of which is preserved under the high altar of the Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
church at Stockerau.
Géza I of Hungary
Géza I (; ; 104025 April 1077) was King of Hungary from 1074 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Béla I of Hungary, Béla I. His baptismal name was Magnus. With German assistance, Géza's cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, Solomon ac ...
named one of his sons, King Coloman of Hungary, in his honor. In the 13th century, the younger brother of King Bela IV of Hungary was named Coloman of Galicia-Lodomeria in honor of Coloman.
Eventually, the relics of Coloman were taken back from the Cathedral of Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár (; ; ; ; Serbian language, Serbian: ''Стони Београд''; ), known colloquially as Fehérvár (), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the Regions of Hungary, regional capital of C ...
to Melk Abbey in Austria, where they are still kept. Many Austrian rulers made modifications to the tomb of Coloman, and the actual reliquary was made in the Baroque style.
See also
* Incorruptibles
References
Sources
"Coleman", by Aidan Breen, ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', page 696, volume two, 2009.
External links
Saint of the Day, October 13: ''Coloman of Stockerau''
at ''SaintPatrickDC.org''
Catholic Online: St. ColomanSaint Coloman of Stockerau
at ''Saints.SQPN.com''
{{Authority control
10th-century births
1012 deaths
11th-century Christian saints
Medieval Irish saints on the Continent
11th-century Christian martyrs
People from Korneuburg District
Incorrupt saints