Wandelbert
Encyclopedia
Wandelbert was a Benedictine
monk
and theological writer. Little is known of his personal history. He was apparently a native of France
, and in 839 he was already a monk at the Abbey of Prüm. He died at Prüm. About this date Abbot Markward commissioned him to rewrite the old life of St. Goar and to supplement it by an account of the miracles worked by the saint. The life Wandelbert wrote is not without historical value.
He composed his second work, a martyrology
in verse that was finished about 848, at the request of Otrich, a priest of Cologne
, and with the aid of his friend Florus of Lyon. The martyrology is based on earlier ones, particularly that of the Venerable Bede
. The arrangement follows the calendar, and a brief account is given for each day of the life and death of one or more saint
s. Together with the martyrology are poems on the months and their signs, on the various kinds of agricultural labour, the seasons for hunting, fishing, cultivation of fruit, of the fields, and of vineyards, and the church Hours. The poetry is, in general, uniform and monotonous, the most graceful passages are various descriptions of nature.
Wandelbert also wrote a (lost) work on the Mass
.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and theological writer. Little is known of his personal history. He was apparently a native of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and in 839 he was already a monk at the Abbey of Prüm. He died at Prüm. About this date Abbot Markward commissioned him to rewrite the old life of St. Goar and to supplement it by an account of the miracles worked by the saint. The life Wandelbert wrote is not without historical value.
He composed his second work, a martyrology
Martyrology
A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs , arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by names borrowed from neighbouring churches...
in verse that was finished about 848, at the request of Otrich, a priest of Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, and with the aid of his friend Florus of Lyon. The martyrology is based on earlier ones, particularly that of the Venerable Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
. The arrangement follows the calendar, and a brief account is given for each day of the life and death of one or more saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s. Together with the martyrology are poems on the months and their signs, on the various kinds of agricultural labour, the seasons for hunting, fishing, cultivation of fruit, of the fields, and of vineyards, and the church Hours. The poetry is, in general, uniform and monotonous, the most graceful passages are various descriptions of nature.
Wandelbert also wrote a (lost) work on the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
.