Hariolf and Erlolf
Saint Hariolf (also Herulf ; * around 730; † around 815) and his brother Erlolf were the founders of the Benedictine Abbey of Ellwangen around 764 . They came from a Bavarian-Alemannic noble family.
Life
Hariolf was choir bishop in Langres and followed his brother Erlolf to the bishopric. The two brothers are historically guaranteed by the list of bishops of Langres . The biography of St. Hariolf, the "Vita Hariolfi" was written by the Ellwang monk Ermenrich ; it describes the life of Hariolf and the founding history of Ellwangen. Accordingly, the Ellwangen Monastery was founded in 764, and it was first mentioned on April 8, 814. Hariolf's Ellwangen confrere Suonhar - according to Vita Hariolfi, once vassal of King Karlmann - left the monastery many of its own churches, and so the Ellwangen Monastery experienced a favorable strategic location and also located on two trunk roads - its first heyday in the 9th century. It was also the two brothers who brought numerous relics to Ellwangen u. a. that of the "horse saints" Speusippus, Eleusippus and Meleusippus , to whom the Cold Market in Ellwangen goes back.
Hariolf took over the office of bishop in Langres from his brother Erlolf. In 778 at the latest, however, he returned to Ellwangen and stayed there until his death. Less is known about Erlolf's life.
Hariolf and Erlolf are buried in the Basilica of St. Vitus .
Founding history of Ellwangen
Hariolf and Erlolf are the founders of the town of Ellwangen. It used to be assumed that the name "Ellwangen" goes back to "Elchfang" and alludes to the founding of the city, the current state of research is no longer tenable.
Hariolf was with a friend who was of noble Franconian descent on an elk hunt in the Virngrund Forest, which was an inhospitable jungle at the end of the 8th century. They hunted a male elk and finally managed to kill the animal late in the evening.
In the original text of Vita Hariolfi it now says about the other events:
When the holy man spent the night in this place and was overwhelmed by sleep, he heard the sound of bells and, as he himself reported, in the valley, where this monastery was initially built, but now the Läutekirche, one could hear the ringing of bells. But when he woke up, he marked himself with the sign of the cross and then fell asleep again. Then he had the same feeling again. But when he had heard the bell ring for the third time in this form, he woke one of his conscripts and said to him: "Haven't you heard anything?" The latter replied: “I hear a sound like the last fading of bells.” “Why didn't you wake me up?” And Hariolf said to him: “Shut up, I ask you to do that and cross you, because one often takes in Desolate, inhospitable appearances come true. ”From then on, Hariolf renounced the world and sought to enter the host of Christ. He went to see his brother, Bishop Erlolf, changed his worldly garment and received the habit.
Ermanrich now adds in the original script that the ringing of bells was intended to symbolically express as a divine sign that multitudes of monks would be present at this location in the future. Hariolf returned to Langres, only to return to the said place with his brother. This point is referred to in the Vita as the point “where the chapel of St. Arch-Martyr Stephen was built afterwards, but now the altar of St. Benedict stands” . It can therefore be assumed that it is the south transept of today's Basilica of St. Vitus. Hariolf and Erlolf prayed Psalm 131. As Hariolf from it the 14th verse: “This is my place of rest in eternity; I want to live here because I love him, ”recited he fell. This found the place where the monastery was to be founded.
Remembrance day
St. Hariolf's feast day is December 13th. Until the times of the Canons' Monastery, this day of remembrance was celebrated with a special “Hariolfs Mass” at midnight with a reading of the original text from the “Vita Hariolfi” in the Basilica of St. Vitus.
Today's meaning
There are still many references to Hariolf and Erlolf in Ellwangen: The Hariolfgymnasium and the Hariolfkindergarten bear the name of the monastery founder. On the occasion of the city's 1250th anniversary in 2014, the Hariolf circular route was laid out.
There are also some references to the two brothers in the basilica of St. Vitus: In the vaulted ceiling of the basilica (also known as the Ellwang Holy Heaven), next to the monastery saints, Hariolf and Erlolf can be seen, with the name "Fundator". In addition, the founders of the monastery are depicted on numerous paintings or visible as figures, mostly they are shown with the crosier and the Basilica of St. Vitus in hand.
The coat of arms of the cities of Ellwangen and Langres, which are also linked by a town partnership , goes back to Hariolf and Erlolf, as it represents the coat of arms of the French diocese of Langres and is depicted as the coat of arms of Hariolf and Erlolf. It is very likely, however, that the bishops did not have a coat of arms during their lifetime and that the coat of arms was therefore later assigned to the two brothers.
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- Viktor Burr : Vita Hariolfi. In: Ellwangen 764–1964. Schwabenverlag Ellwangen, 1964
- Matthias Steuer : "Ihro Fürstliche Gnaden–" The prince provosts of Ellwangen and their culture. History and Antiquity Association Ellwangen eV, 2011
Web links
proof
- ↑ Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
- ↑ http://www.ellwangen.de/index.php?id=48
- ↑ Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
- ↑ website Hariolfgymnasiums
- ↑ Flyer for the Hariolf circular route (PDF) at www.ellwangen.de
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| --- |
Abbot of Ellwangen 764–? |
Wikterp |
| Vaudier |
Bishop of Langres 759–778 |
Waltrich |