Thiemo (''Thimo'', also called ''Dietmar'' or ''Theodinarus''; 28 September 1101/02) was Archbishop of Salzburg from 1090 until his death. He is venerated as a

Christian martyr In Christianity, a martyr is a person considered to have died because of their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In years of the early church, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at th ...

Life

A scion of the Bavarian comital House of Vornbach (Formbach), Thiemo reportedly was a talented painter and sculptor. He entered 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 ...

abbey of Niederaltaich and in 1077 became abbot of the St. Peter's Monastery in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

. Under Archbishop Gebhard, he was caught up in the fierce

Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest (German: ''Investiturstreit''; ), was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture) and abbots of monast ...

as a papal supporter in opposition to German king Henry IV. While Henry had the archbishop expelled, Thiemo likewise, in 1081, went into exile, at first to

Mönchsdeggingen Mönchsdeggingen is a municipality in the district of Donau-Ries in Bavaria in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Rus ...

and

Hirsau Abbey Hirsau Abbey, formerly known as Hirschau Abbey, was once one of the most important Benedictine abbeys of Germany. It is located in the Hirsau borough of Calw on the northern slopes of the Black Forest mountain range, in the present-day state of B ...

Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

, later to Admont,

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

. In 1086 Thiemo was able to return to Salzburg, together with Gebhard, whom he succeeded after his death two years later. Elected archbishop on 25 March 1090, he received the holy orders on April 7, confirmed by

Pope Urban II Pope Urban II ( la, Urbanus II; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening th ...

. In 1095 Thiemo attended the Council of Piacenza, while a domestic conflict with anti-bishop Count Berthold of Moosburg, who had been appointed by Henry IV in 1085, continued. He was defeated by Berthold's troops in 1097 and escaped to

Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...

, where he was arrested at

Friesach Friesach ( sl, Breže) is a historic town in the Sankt Veit an der Glan district of Carinthia, Austria. First mentioned in an 860 deed, it is known as the oldest town in Carinthia. Geography Location Friesach covers an area of 120.83 km2 a ...

by the forces of the Gurk bishop. Freed by a loyal monk, Thiemo found a refuge in the diocese of befriended Bishop Gebhard of Constance at Petershausen Abbey. In 1101 Thiemo decided to join Duke William IX of Aquitaine on his

crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

and did not return. Several traditions concerning his death exist. He may have been taken captive by the Seljuqs of Rûm at Ereğli (Heraclea) in

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

in September 1101 or was imprisoned by the

Fatimid Caliphate The Fatimid Caliphate was an Isma'ilism, Ismaili Shia Islam, Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the ea ...

at Ashkelon in the following year. His martyrdom is described being tortured and killed by pulling the intestines out of his body with a spindle. He was never formally canonized but is commemorated as a martyr by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. His name day is 28 September.Namenstag Thiemo
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References

External links

* {{Authority control Roman Catholic archbishops of Salzburg Benedictines 11th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire 12th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 1040s births