Werenfried

Werenfried also Werenfridus (died August 14, 760 in Westervoort ) is a missionary and saint .

resume

Werenfried is first mentioned as a monk in Rathmelsigi Monastery in Ireland . Presumably he wasn't Irish: his name is purely Germanic and can be interpreted as the keeper of peace . Around the year 690 he moved to what is now the Netherlands as Willibrord's journeyman in order to spread Christianity there. At first he worked from Wervershoof , which at that time belonged to Friesland ; later he moved via the important trading town of Dorestad to the Betuwe region , to Elst between Arnhem and Nijmegen , where he continued his missionary work throughout his life. He should also in the valley of the Vechte , u. a. have worked in Nordhorn . In a document from 1327, St. Werenfried is given as the patron saint of the church in Uelsen .

Legend

After Werenfried's death, several places wanted to bury his remains in their church. The presence of a holy grave was of great economic importance for a village or town in the Middle Ages , because the place would then become a destination for pilgrimages , which was the only form of tourism at that time .

Westervoort, where he died, and Elst agreed on a divine judgment in the dispute over Werenfried's burial . The body was placed in a boat which, surprisingly, drifted upstream to the banks of the Rhine with the Betuwe . Then Werenfried was put in an ox cart . The two draft animals were young and had never before under a yoke confessed. Without following a human command, the oxen pulled the cart to the church of Elst, where Werenfried was buried. Since then, Werenfried has been the patron saint of the village of Elst.

Werenfried was also called upon for assistance by vegetable gardeners and people suffering from gout .

Werenfried's relics

Around 925 an altar was erected in the church in Elster in honor of Werenfried , which indicates that he was recognized as a saint at the time . A papal document confirming this has not survived. In the iconoclasm of 1588, Werenfried's grave was desecrated and some of his remains were lost. What was preserved was transferred to a church in Emmerich am Rhein . In World War II the church was bombed. With the exception of a small bone fragment, all relics of St. Werenfridus lost.

Web links

• Elst, H. Werenfridus , accessed December 5, 2017