Wolfhelm of Brauweiler (died 1091) was the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbot of

Brauweiler Abbey Brauweiler Abbey (german: Abtei Brauweiler) is a former Rule of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery located at Brauweiler, now in Pulheim near Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany. History The monastery was founded and endowed in 1024 by ...

, near

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, Germany. He was attacked by Manegold of Lautenbach, in his ''Liber Contra Wolfelmum''. The grounds were both theological and political: Wolfhelm was sympathetic to Platonist ideas and is accused of trying to mediate between

Macrobius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during late antiquity, the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire, and when Latin was ...

and Christian doctrine; but also he was close to the imperial party of

Emperor Henry IV Henry IV (german: Heinrich IV; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was the son ...

, in the oncoming Investiture Conflict. In attacking Wolfhelm, Manegold denies the doctrine of the

Antipodes In geography, the antipode () of any spot on Earth is the point on Earth's surface diametrically opposite to it. A pair of points ''antipodal'' () to each other are situated such that a straight line connecting the two would pass through Ear ...

, bringing the classical doctrine of the round Earth into the scope of heretical ideas. He wrote a letter against the theology of Berengar of Tours, addressed to Meginhard of

Gladbach Abbey Gladbach Abbey was a Benedictine abbey founded in 974 by Archbishop Gero of Cologne and the monk Sandrad from Trier. It was named after the Gladbach, a narrow brook that now runs underground. The abbey and its adjoining villages grew into the tow ...

. A ''Life of Wolfhelm'' written a generation later, by Konrad, a monk of Brauweiler, was a

hagiographical A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...

work. It is known that Wolfhelm taught at the cathedral school of Cologne before moving to the abbey in 1065. It is not known whether the encounter related by Manegold really took place. He was

beatified Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

by the Catholic church. His

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

is 22 April. His sister Bertha was a nun of

Vilich Abbey The Vilich Abbey (German St. Adelheidis Stift) is a former monastery located in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is named after the canonized Adelaide of Vilich, who lived from 970 to 1015. After her death, a cult formed around her and the convent. The ...

, who wrote a ''Vita'' of the abbess

Adelheid Adelheid is the modern Dutch and German form of the Old High German female given name Adalheidis, meaning "nobility" or "noble-ness". It may refer to the following people: * Saint Adelheid or Adelaide of Italy, (931–999), Holy Roman Empress an ...

.Monasticon
/ref>

References

*Heinz Erich Stiene (translator) (1992), ''Vita Wolfhelmi: Leben des Abtes Wolfhelm von Brauweiler'' *Robert Ziomkowski (translator) (2002), ''Liber contra Wolfelmum, Manegold of Lautenbach''

Notes

External links

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{{authority control 1091 deaths German Benedictines German beatified people Year of birth unknown Benedictine abbots