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Wiro of Roermond, also Wiro or Wera of Utrecht (and possibly also the same as Vira of Northumbria; d. c. 700) is a
Veneration of Wiro and his two companions began early in Roermond. The monastery he founded was transferred to Roermond, in 1361, accompanied by his relics, which were lost during the Reformation. They were re-discovered later in the 16th century, and a feast day was celebrated for some years to commemorate the rediscovery. In 1881 the original grave was found in the former abbey, and most of the bones were returned to it.
Wiro's feast day is 8 May, but in Roermond 11 May. Since the Middle Ages his skull has been in Utrecht, where he was the patron saint of the bishopric. Pilgrimages are still made to his grave in Roermond.
Saint Wiro in the ''Acta Sanctorum''
Catholic.org: St. Wiro
* {{authority control 8th-century Frankish saints Colombanian saints
Wiro of Roermond, also Wiro or Wera of Utrecht (and possibly also the same as Vira of Northumbria; d. c. 700) is a Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
of the 8th century. His feast day is May 8.
Life
Wiro was a native ofAnglo-Saxon England
Anglo-Saxon England or Early Medieval England, existing from the 5th to the 11th centuries from the end of Roman Britain until the Norman conquest in 1066, consisted of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms until 927, when it was united as the Kingdom o ...
, probably of Northumberland. He seems to have been associated with Saint Willibrord, and to have been appointed the second bishop of Utrecht
List of bishops and archbishops of the diocese and archdioceses of Utrecht.
Medieval diocese from 695 to 1580
Founders of the Utrecht diocese
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in about 739–741.
Between 746 to 747, Wiro was one of eight bishops, along with St. Boniface
Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...
, who wrote a letter to Æthelbald, King of Mercia reproving him for various dissolute and irreligious acts including: stealing ecclesiastical revenue, violating church privileges, imposing forced labour on the clergy, and fornicating with nuns. The letter implored Æthelbald to take a wife and abandon the sin of lust:We therefore, beloved son, beseech Your Grace by Christ the son of God and by His coming and by His kingdom, that if it is true that you are continuing in this vice you will amend your life by penitence, purify yourself, and bear in mind how vile a thing it is through lust to change the image of God created in you into the image and likeness of a vicious demon. Remember that you were made king and ruler over many not by your own merits but by the abounding grace of God, and now you are making yourself by your own lust the slave of an evil spirit.He was a missionary and preached in the region of the Maas and the Rhine, where his legend associates him with the priest Plechelm and the deacon Otger. Later he founded St. Peter's Abbey on land given to him by
Pippin II
Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Frankish statesman and military leader who de facto ruled Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke and Prince of the F ...
in the present Sint Odilienberg
''Sint'' (released on DVD as ''Saint'' in Europe and ''Saint Nick'' in the United States) is a 2010 Dutch dark comedy horror film about Sinterklaas, the character on which the Anglo-Saxon Santa Claus is based. The film was directed by Dick Maa ...
near Roermond in the Netherlands with Otger. Wiro is buried there.
It is not clear to what extent his ''vita'' is historical. It seems clear that the monastery was founded towards the end of the 7th century.
He may be identical with the missionary bishop Vira from Northumbria, mentioned by Alcuin, among others.
The Basilica of Saints Wiro, Plechelm and Otger at Sint Odilienberg is dedicated to Wiro and his companions.
Veneration
Veneration of Wiro and his two companions began early in Roermond. The monastery he founded was transferred to Roermond, in 1361, accompanied by his relics, which were lost during the Reformation. They were re-discovered later in the 16th century, and a feast day was celebrated for some years to commemorate the rediscovery. In 1881 the original grave was found in the former abbey, and most of the bones were returned to it.
Wiro's feast day is 8 May, but in Roermond 11 May. Since the Middle Ages his skull has been in Utrecht, where he was the patron saint of the bishopric. Pilgrimages are still made to his grave in Roermond.
Notes
Sources
*''Butler's Lives of the Saints.'' Collegeville, 1996 p. 44 * *External links
Saint Wiro in the ''Acta Sanctorum''
Catholic.org: St. Wiro
* {{authority control 8th-century Frankish saints Colombanian saints