Ludger (; also Lüdiger or Liudger) ( – 26 March 809) was a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

among the

Frisians The Frisians () are an ethnic group indigenous to the German Bight, coastal regions of the Netherlands, north-western Germany and southern Denmark. They inhabit an area known as Frisia and are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland an ...

and

Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

, founder of

Werden Abbey Werden Abbey () was a Benedictine monastery in Essen-Werden (Germany), situated on the Ruhr. The foundation of the abbey Near Essen Saint Ludger founded a monastery in 799 and became its first abbot. The little church which Saint Ludger b ...

and the first

Bishop of Münster A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

. He has been called the "Apostle of Saxony".Monks of Ramsgate. “Ludger”. ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 9 November 2014
/ref>

Early life to ordination

Ludger's parents, Thiadgrim and Liafburg, were wealthy Christian Frisians of noble descent. In 753 Ludger saw the great Apostle of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Boniface Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of the church i ...

, which, together with the subsequent martyrdom of the saint, made a deep impression on him. At his own request he was sent to the Utrecht Cathedral School (''Martinsstift''), founded by

Gregory of Utrecht Gregory of Utrecht ( 700/705 – August 25, 776) was born of a noble family at Trier.

in 756 or 757, and made good progress. In 767 Gregory, who did not wish to receive episcopal consecration himself, sent Alubert, who had come from England to assist him in his missionary work, to

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

to be consecrated bishop. Ludger accompanied him to be ordained into the

diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Catholi ...

(as he duly was, by Ethelbert of York) and to study under

Alcuin Alcuin of York (; ; 735 – 19 May 804), also called Ealhwine, Alhwin, or Alchoin, was a scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student of Ecgbert of York, Archbishop Ecgbert at Yor ...

, but after a year he returned to Utrecht. Some time later he was granted an opportunity to continue his studies at York, when he developed a friendship with Alcuin which lasted throughout life.Mershman, Francis. "St. Ludger." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 24 January 2020 In 772 friction arose between the

Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

and the Frisians, and Ludger - for the sake of his personal safety - left for home, taking with him a number of valuable books. He remained in the ''Martinsstift'' until the death of Gregory in 775, in honour of whose memory he wrote the biography ''Vita Gregorii''. He was then sent to

Deventer Deventer (; Sallaans dialect, Sallands: ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Salland historical region of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, ...

to restore the chapel destroyed by the

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

Saxons and to find the

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

Lebuinus Lebuinus (also known as Lebuin, Lebwin or Liafwin ''; died 775) was a medieval Christian monk who is the Apostle of the Frisians and patron saint of the city of Deventer in the Netherlands. He was born in England to Anglo-Saxon parents, date unk ...

, who had worked there as missionary, built the chapel, and died there in c. 775. Ludger succeeded, and returned to teach in the ''Martinsstift'', after which he and others were sent north to destroy pagan places of worship west of the

Lauwers Zee Lauwersmeer () is a man-made lake in the north of the Netherlands, on the border of the provinces of Groningen (province), Groningen and Friesland. The lake was formed on 23 May 1969, when the Levee, dike between the bay called Lauwers Sea and the ...

The Netherlands

After Ludger had been ordained at

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

on 7 July 777, the missions of '' Ostergau'' (or ''Ostracha'', i.e.,

East Frisia East Frisia () or East Friesland (; ; ; ) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisia (peninsula), East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia and to the ...

) were committed to his charge, of which missions

Dokkum Dokkum is a Dutch fortified city in the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân in the province of Friesland. It has 12,669 inhabitants (February 8, 2020). The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the ''bolwerken'' (bulwarks) ...

, the place of the martyrdom of Boniface, was made the centre. Every autumn, however, he came back to Utrecht to teach at the cathedral school. He worked in this way for about seven years, until

Widukind Widukind, also known as Wittekind and Wittikund, was a leader of the Saxons and the chief opponent of the Frankish king Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 777 to 785. Charlemagne ultimately prevailed, organized Saxony as a Frankish provinc ...

in 784 persuaded the Frisians to drive out the missionaries, burn the churches, and return to the pagan gods. Ludger escaped with his disciples, and in 785 visited

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, where he was well received by

Pope Adrian I Pope Adrian I (; 700 – 25 December 795) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 772 until his death on 25 December 795. Descended from a family of the military aristocracy of Rome known as ''domini de via Lata'', h ...

, who gave him much advice and special faculties. From Rome he went to Monte Cassino, where he lived according to the

Rule of Saint Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of th ...

, but did not bind himself by vows.Duffy, Patrick/ "St Ludger of Münster (742-809)", Catholic Ireland, March 26, 2012
/ref> The news of Widukind's submission, and the arrival of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

Monte Cassino The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic Church, Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Valle Latina, Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient ...

in 787, put an end to Ludger's peaceful retirement. He was appointed missionary to five districts east of the river

Lauwers The Lauwers () is a river in the Netherlands. It forms part of the border between the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. From the 730s to Widukind's defeat in 785, it was part of the border of the Frankish Empire. The former Lauwerszee an ...

, around the estuaries of the Hunze, the

Fivel The Fivel was a historical river in the province of Groningen (province), Groningen in the Netherlands. It received its water from peat bogs around Kolham and Slochteren, flowed past , and , and meandered north of Winneweer. The Fivel debouched i ...

, and the

Ems Ems or EMS may refer to: Places and rivers * Domat/Ems, a Swiss municipality in the canton of Grisons * Ems (river) (Eems), a river in northwestern Germany and northeastern Netherlands that discharges in the Dollart Bay * Ems (Eder), a river o ...

, which were still occupied almost entirely by pagans. He began his work armed with characteristic energy and faith in God, and had a significant advantage in that he knew the language and habits of the people, and put this knowledge to good use in achieving their conversion. He worked in many places: the island of Bant, long since sunk beneath the sea, is mentioned as the scene of his apostolic work. He visited

Heligoland Heligoland (; , ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , ) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. The islands were historically possessions of Denmark, then became possessions of the United Kingdom from 1807 to 1890. Since 1890, the ...

(''Fossitesland''), where

Willibrord Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop, and missionary. He became the first Diocese of Utrecht (695–1580), Bishop of Utrecht in what is now the Netherlands, dying at Echternach in Luxembourg, and ...

had preached, where he destroyed the remains of paganism and built a Christian church. The well, formerly sacred to the pagan gods, he re-dedicated as his baptismal font. On his return he met the blind bard

Bernlef Bernlef (; ) was a Frisian bard and convert to Christianity. During his life, he traveled through the coastal regions of Frisia, singing epics about Frisian kings and heroes. According to tradition, he was healed of his blindness by Saint Ludg ...

, last of the Frisian

skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry in alliterative verse, the other being Eddic poetry. Skaldic poems were traditionally compo ...

s, allegedly cured his blindness, and made him a devout Christian.

Westphalia and Saxony

In 793 Charlemagne wished to make Ludger

Bishop of Trier The Diocese of Trier (), in English historically also known as ''Treves'' () from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.St. Ludger's Abbey St. Ludger's Abbey () was a former monastery of the Benedictine Order in Helmstedt, Lower Saxony, founded by Saint Ludger around 800. Until it was German Mediatisation, secularised in 1802 it was an Imperial Abbey, with sovereignty over the whole t ...

Helmstedt Helmstedt (; Eastphalian: ''Helmstidde'') is a town on the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. The historic university and Hanseatic city conserves an important monumental heritage o ...

was founded as part of his missionary activity in this part of Germany. To meet necessary expenses the income of the Abbey of Leuze, in the present Belgian province of Hainaut, was given him, and he was told to pick his fellow-workers from the members of that abbey. As ''Mimigernaford'' (also ''Mimigardeford'' or ''Miningarvard'') had been designated the centre of the new district, Ludger built a monastery for canons regular there, from which the place took the name of

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

. Here he lived with his monks according to the rule of

Saint Chrodegang Chrodegang (; ;Spellings of his name in (Latin) primary sources are extremely varied: Chrodegangus, Grodegandus, Grodegangus, Grodogangus, Chrodogandus, Krodegandus, Chrodegrangus, Chrotgangus, Ruotgangus, Droctegangus, Chrodegand, and Sirigangus ...

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

, which in 789 had been made obligatory in the

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

territories. He also built a chapel on the left bank of the Aa in honour of the

Blessed Virgin Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, as well as the churches of Billerbeck,

Coesfeld Coesfeld (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Koosfeld'') is the capital of the Coesfeld (district), district of Coesfeld in the Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. History Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first ...

, Hersfeld,

Nottuln Nottuln (; Low German: ''Notteln'') is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Nottuln is situated in the Baumberge, approx. 20 km west of Münster. Neighbouring municipalities ...

and others. Near the church of Nottuln he built a home for his sister, Gerburgis, who had consecrated herself to God. Many other women soon joined her, and so originated the first

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

in Westphalia (c. 803). Better known among his foundations, however, is the abbey at

Werden Werden ( Westphalian: ''Wadden'') is a southern borough of the city of Essen in Germany. It belongs to the city district ''IX Werden/Kettwig/Bredeney'' and has 9,998 inhabitants as of June 30, 2006. The borough occupies a space of and is situat ...

, Shea, John Dawson Gilmary. “Saint Ludger, Bishop”. ''Pictorial Lives of the Saints'', 1889. CatholicSaints.Info. 6 February 2014
/ref> founded (after an abortive attempt to establish a religious house at Wichmond on the

Erft The Erft () is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows through the foothills of the Eifel, and joins the Lower Rhine (left tributary). Its origin is near Nettersheim, and its mouth in Neuss-Grimlinghausen south of the Josef Cardina ...

) in c. 800 and consecrated in 804, on ground which Ludger himself had acquired, in fulfilment of his desire, formed since his stay at Monte Cassino, to found a Benedictine house.

Later life

Alcuin recommended him to Charlemagne, who had

Hildebold, Archbishop of Cologne Hildebold (died 3 September 818) was the Bishop of Cologne from 787 until 795 and the first Archbishop of Cologne thereafter. A friend of Charlemagne, in 791 Hildebold was made the archchaplain and chancellor of the Carolingian Empire, Imperial ...

, consecrate Ludger as bishop of Munster on 30 March 805. Ludger's principal concern was to have a good and efficient clergy. To a great extent he educated his students personally, and generally took some of them on his missionary tours. He also founded the monastery of Helmstad, afterwards called Ludger-Clooster, or Ludger's Cloister, in the duchy of Brunswick.Butler, Alban. "St. Ludger, Bishop of Munster", ''Lives of the Saints''
/ref> It was said of him that his peaceful methods were far more effective in promoting Christianity than the aggressive tactics of Charlemagne. He was criticised during his life for spending money on alms that should have gone towards the ornamentation of his churches. He suffered thereby, but was able to convince Charlemagne that this was no fault.

Death and relics

Passion Sunday Passion Sunday is the fifth Sunday in Lent in several Christian traditions, marking the beginning of Passiontide. In 1969, Passiontide was removed from the liturgical calendar of the Western Catholic Church for the Mass of Paul VI, but it is st ...

809, Ludger heard

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

at Coesfeld early in the morning and preached, then went to Billerbeck, where at 9:00 he again preached, and said his last Mass. That evening he died peacefully in the company of his followers, at the age of sixty-six. A dispute arose between Münster and Werden for the possession of his remains. His brother Hildegrim was appealed to, and after consultation with the

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

, decided in favour of Werden, where the relics still remain. Portions have, however, since been brought to Münster and Billerbeck.

Veneration

The successive ''Vitae'', beginning with the serious contemporary biographical work of

Altfrid Saint Altfrid (or Altfrid of Hildesheim) (died 15 August 874) was a leading figure in Germany in the ninth century. A Benedictine monk, he became Bishop of Hildesheim, and founded Essen Abbey. He was also a close adviser to the East Frankish Kin ...

and passing through the ''Vita Secunda'' and ''Vita Tertia'' to the ''Libellus Monasteriensis de miraculis sancti Liudgeri'' (''The Little Book of Münster on the Miracles of Saint Ludger'') of c. 1170, demonstrate the growth of the legend. Votive practice in Münster seems to have focused on a very large and elaborate cross containing a number of relics of the saint. The cult seems to have remained mostly local, and largely to have faded in the later Middle Ages. He is the patron saint of Werden, East Frisia, and Deventer. “Saint Ludger”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 11 August 2018
/ref> Ludger is represented either as a bishop holding a church and a book or as standing between two geese (occasionally described as swans). His

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

is celebrated on 26 March.

References

Sources

This article includes some information from the German Wikipedia (mostly in German): * Börsting, Heinrich, Borger, Hugo, Elbern, Victor H.: ''Sankt Liudger 809-1959. Gedenkschrift zum 1150. Todestage des Heiligen'', Essen-Werden 1959 * Börsting, Heinrich and Schröder, Alois (eds): ''Liudger und sein Erbe'', 2 vols (= Westfalia Sacra, Bd.1-2), Münster 1948-1950 * Boser: ''Am Grabe des hl. Ludger'' (Münster, 1908). * Buhlmann, Michael: ''Liudger an der Ruhr'', in: Ich verkünde euch Christus. St. Liudger, Zeuge des Glaubens 742-809

998 Year 998 ( CMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Otto III retakes Rome and restores power in the papal city. Crescentius II (the Younger) and his followers ...

pp 22–42 * Buhlmann, Michael: ''Liudger und Karl der Große'', in: Ich verkünde euch Christus. St. Liudger, Zeuge des Glaubens 742-809 001 pp 5–48 * Buhlmann, Michael: ''Liudger in den Münsteraner Chroniken des Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit'', in: Ich verkünde euch Christus. St. Liudger, Zeuge des Glaubens 742-809

002 002, 0O2, O02, OO2, or 002 may refer to: Airports *0O2, Baker Airport *O02, Nervino Airport Astronomy *1996 OO2, the minor planet 7499 L'Aquila *1990 OO2, the asteroid 9175 Graun Fiction *002, fictional British 00 Agent *''002 Operazione Luna'' ...

pp 76–100 * Buhlmann, Michael: ''Liudger und sein bischöfliches Wirken in der Zeit. Sächsischer Missionsbezirk und Münsteraner Bistum Liudgers in der Kirchenorganisation des karolingischen Frankenreichs'', in: Seid Zeugen des Glaubens

005 ''005'' (pronounced "''double-o five''") is a 1981 arcade video game by Sega. They advertised it as the first of their RasterScan Convert-a-Game series, designed so that it could be changed into another game in minutes "at a substantial savings. ...

pp 55–89 * Diekamp, Wilhelm (ed): ''Die Vitae sancti Liudgeri (= Die Geschichtsquellen des Bistums Münster, Bd.4)'', Münster 1881 * Ficker, Julius (ed): ''Die Münsterischen Chroniken des Mittelalters (= Die Geschichtsquellen des Bistums Münster, Bd.1)'', Münster 1859 * Freise, Eckhard: ''Vom vorchristlichen Mimigernaford zum "honestum monasterium" Liudgers'', in: Geschichte der Stadt Münster, ed F-J Jakobi, Bd.1: Von den Anfängen bis zum Ende des Fürstbistums, Münster, 3rd ed, 1994, pp 1–51 * Freise, Eckhard (ed): ''Liudger'', in: Lexikon des Mittelalters, vol 5, Sp.2038 * Gerchow, Jan (ed): ''Das Jahrtausend der Mönche. KlosterWelt - Werden 799-1803'' (exhibition catalogue), Essen-Köln 1999 * Kaus, Eberhard: ''Zu den Liudger-Viten des 9. Jahrhunderts'', Westfälische Zeitung, 142 (1992), pp 9–55 * Levison, W: ''England and the Continent in the Eighth Century'' (1946) * Löwe, Heinz: ''Liudger als Zeitkritiker'', in: HJb 74 (1955), pp 79–91 * Pingsmann: ''Der hl. Ludgerus'' (Freiburg, 1879) * Revue Bénédictine, III, 107; VII, 412 * Schrade, H: ''Die vita des hl Liudger und ihre Bilder'' (1960) * Senger, Basilius (ed): ''Liudger in seiner Zeit. Altfrid über Liudger. Liudgers Erinnerungen'', Münster, 4th ed, 1986 * Stadler: Heiligenlexikon * Stühlmeyer, Barbara: ''Das Liudgeroffizium des Benediktinerklosters Essen Werden (Transkription und Analyse)''. In: ''Die Gesänge der Hildegard von Bingen. Eine musikologische, theologische und kulturhistorische Untersuchung''. Phil.Diss., Hildesheim: Olms, 2003, . * Barbara Stühlmeyer: ''Liudger, ein Friese, der die Welt verändert''. In: ''Karfunkel. Zeitschrift für erlebbare Geschichte'', 61, 2005, S. 107-110, ISSN 0944-2677. * Stühlmeyer, Ludger: ''Handschriften im Vergleich: Das Ludgerusoffizium des 12. Jh. in der Abtei Gerleve''. In: ''Curia sonans. Die Musikgeschichte der Stadt Hof. Eine Studie zur Kultur Oberfrankens. Von der Gründung des Bistums Bamberg bis zur Gegenwart''. Phil.Diss., Bamberg: Bayerische Verlagsanstalt, Heinrichs-Verlag 2010, .

External links

* *
Dossier about Ludger at kirchensite.de
* * Neustadt am Main – Gestern und Heute
''Die fränkische Missionierung ab 500''
{{Authority control People educated at St Peter's School, York 740s births 809 deaths Bishops in the Carolingian Empire Medieval German saints Dutch Roman Catholic saints Christian missionaries in Europe Clergy from Utrecht (city) Roman Catholic bishops of Münster Saints from the Carolingian Empire History of East Frisia 8th-century writers in Latin 8th-century Frankish writers 9th-century writers in Latin