Glasfenster von Saint Evergislus (cropped)

Eberigisil (died before 593) was

Bishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palat ...

, being the fifth well-attested bishop, and the first with a Frankish name. Evergislu's tenure was marked by the unrest brought about by the migration of peoples, which dominated both city and country. Evergislus tried to build up religious life and ecclesiastical peace.

Life

He is mentioned by

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (30 November 538 – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of the area that had been previously referred to as Gaul by the Romans. He was born Georgius Florent ...

but always using the past tense, so it is assumed that Eberigisil died before 594. Gregory says that Eberigisil built a church in honor of the martyr Mallosus in Birten, near

Xanten Xanten (, Low Rhenish: ''Santen'') is a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the district of Wesel. Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park, one of the largest archaeological open air museums in the worl ...

. In 590 he settled disputes in a nunnery in

Poitiers Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglome ...

on behalf of

Childebert II Childebert II (c.570–596) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia (which included Provence at the time) from 575 until his death in March 596, as the only son of Sigebert I and Brunhilda of Austrasia; and the king of Burgundy from 592 to hi ...

."Evergislus", Heilige
/ref>

Heriger of Lobbes Herigerus ( – 31 October 1007) was a Benedictine monk, often known as Heriger of Lobbes for serving as abbot of the abbey of Lobbes between 990 and 1007. Remembered for his writings as theologian and historian, Herigerus was a teacher to numer ...

mentions him as a

bishop of Maastricht The Diocese of Maastricht (Latin Traiectum ad Mosam) was a Roman Catholic jurisdiction in parts of present Netherlands (including the see Maastricht) and Belgium, which has been nominally revived as a Latin titular bishopric. History Establishe ...

but this may well be a mix up.

Legend

According to an 11th-century legend, Eberigisil came from a wealthy family in the Flemish town of

Tongeren Tongeren (; french: Tongres ; german: Tongern ; li, Tóngere ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the on ...

. When Bishop Severin of Cologne was visiting there (Tongern belonged to the Cologne ecclesiastical province at the time), he took the boy, who was considered pious, with him to the episcopal city on the Rhine, educated him and ordained him a deacon. When Severin died, Evergislus became his successor. On a later visit to his hometown of Tongeren, he is said to have been murdered by robbers and buried in the local

Church of Our Lady Church of Our Lady may refer to: Belgium * Cathedral of Our Lady (Antwerp) * Church of Our Lady, Bruges *Church of Our Lady (Kortrijk) * Church of Our Lady of Laeken, site of the royal crypt, Brussels *Church of Our Lady, Melsele Canada * Church ...

. From a historical point of view, however, this narrative is not possible, since Severin was bishop of Cologne around 397.

Veneration

In 954 Archbishop

Bruno I Bruno, also called Brun or Braun ( 2 February 880), a member of the Ottonian dynasty, was Duke of Saxony from 866 until his death. He is rated as an ancestor of the Brunonids, a cadet branch of the Ottonians, though an affiliation is uncertain. ...

transferred the supposedrelics of Evergisilus« from

St. Cecilia's Church, Cologne St. Cecilia's Church (Cäcilienkirche, ) is one of the twelve Romanesque churches in Cologne’s old city, maintained by the Foundation of Romanesque Churches in Cologne. The present building, little changed since its inception, dates from 1130- ...

. Eberigisil was a co-patron of St. Cecilia's Church, which is now a museum. Today his relics rest in the nearby parish church of St. Peter. He is revered as a Catholic saint, honoured on 24 October, and is the patron saint of glaziers, and glass painters. The parish church in Brenig is dedicated to St. Evergislus."Patrozinium St. Evergislus", Sankt Evergilus, Bornheim-Brenig
/ref> Eberigisil is often depicted in episcopal regalia with a palm leaf.

Notes

References

Sources

* Régis de la Haye, ''De bisschoppen van Maastricht''. Maastricht, 1985

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebergisil Roman Catholic bishops of Cologne 6th-century Frankish bishops 6th-century deaths 6th-century Christian saints Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown