Witta of Büraburg
Encyclopedia
See Witta, son of Wecta
for the mythological Jutish chieftain.
Witta of Büraburg (also known as Vito
Albinus, a close Latin
translation of his Germanic
name) (born in Wessex
; died 747) was one of the early Anglo-Saxon
missionaries in Hesse
and Thuringia
in central Germany, disciple and companion of Saints Boniface and Lullus
. Following the establishment by Boniface of the bishopric of Büraburg
near Fritzlar
in 741, Witta was the first and only bishop there. After his death in 747, no successor was appointed and Lullus, then archbishop of Mainz
, incorporated the bishopric into his own because he wanted to have control over the Christian missionary efforts towards the East. Witta was buried in the chapel of Saint Sturm
(Sturmius, Sturmi) which Lullus later (769) used as the nucleus for the new and influential Benedictine Hersfeld Abbey
.
His feast day falls on October 26.
Witta, son of Wecta
Witta son of Wecta is mentioned as a Jutish chieftain in the 449 entry of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as the father of Wihtgils and the grandfather of Hengest and Horsa. He also appears in the same role in Henry of Huntingdon's Historia Anglorum. He is most probably mythological, but as a historical...
for the mythological Jutish chieftain.
Witta of Büraburg (also known as Vito
Vito
Vito is an Italian name of disputed origin, usually thought to originate from Latin "vita", meaning "life",, and also corresponding to the English and French Guy , or Italian and Spanish Guido...
Albinus, a close Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
translation of his Germanic
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
name) (born in Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
; died 747) was one of the early Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
missionaries in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
and Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
in central Germany, disciple and companion of Saints Boniface and Lullus
Lullus
Saint Lullus was the first permanent archbishop of Mainz, succeeding Saint Boniface, and first abbot of the Benedictine Hersfeld Abbey.-Monk to archbishop:...
. Following the establishment by Boniface of the bishopric of Büraburg
Büraburg
Büraburg is a prominent hill with historic significance, overlooking the Eder river near the town of Fritzlar in northern Hesse .In 723 AD the Anglo-Saxon missionary Winfrid – later called St...
near Fritzlar
Fritzlar
Fritzlar is a small German town in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, north of Frankfurt, with a storied history. It can reasonably be argued that the town is the site where the Christianization of northern Germany began and the birthplace of the German empire as a political entity.The...
in 741, Witta was the first and only bishop there. After his death in 747, no successor was appointed and Lullus, then archbishop of Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, incorporated the bishopric into his own because he wanted to have control over the Christian missionary efforts towards the East. Witta was buried in the chapel of Saint Sturm
Saint Sturm
Saint Sturm was a disciple of Saint Boniface and founder and first abbot of the Benedictine monastery and abbey of Fulda in 742 or 744...
(Sturmius, Sturmi) which Lullus later (769) used as the nucleus for the new and influential Benedictine Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse , Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda.-History:...
.
His feast day falls on October 26.