Erkanbald (died 17 August 1021) was the Abbot of Fulda from 997 and afterwards

Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...

from 1011 until his death. Erkanbald was a member of the family of the counts of Ölsburg and was thus related to Bernard III of Sommerescheburg,

Bishop of Hildesheim This list records the incumbents of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim (). Between 1235 and 1803 the bishops simultaneously officiating as rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the Bishopric of Hildesheim, Prince-Bishopric of Hildeshei ...

. He supported the election of Henry IV, Duke of Bavaria, as

King of Germany This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (), from Treaty of Verdun, the division of the Francia, Frankish Empire in 843 and Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in ...

and was rewarded for it in 1011 when the ancient see of Mainz became vacant. He apparently did not receive the Italian arch chancellery of his immediate predecessor

Willigis Willigis (; ; 940 – 23 February 1011 AD) was Archbishop of Mainz from 975 until his death as well as archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire. Life Willigus was born in the Duchy of Saxony, possibly at Schöningen, the son of a free peasant. ...

from Henry II. Several times he appeared as Intervenient in the documents of the emperor, and he consecrated the bishops of Verden and

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

to his church province Mainz. In 1013/14 he took part in the procession to Rome, after which he supported the emperor in carrying out the reform in Fulda. He also supported the emperor in politics in Lower Lorraine and towards Poland. On 4 June 2019, a sarcophagus was opened in the St. John's Church, Mainz, to gain more information on the early history of the diocese of Mainz. Unfortunately, there were no Bishop's ring or other episcopal insignia on the body. Whether it concerns the remains of cleric Erkanbald, buried in 1021, is being investigated further said research director Guido Faccani. The skeleton was very fragile and was severely affected by the covering with

calcium oxide Calcium oxide (formula: Ca O), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature. The broadly used term '' lime'' connotes calcium-containing ...

, with the exception of the feet. In November 2019 a press conference unveiled that the investigations revealed that the body inside was Archbishop Erkanbald. Indications, according to the restorer Anja Bayer, were a

chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...

made of blue-coloured silk, which ended with a gold border on the neck of the deceased. It consists of an unpatterned

samite Samite was a luxurious and heavy silk textile, fabric worn in the Middle Ages, of a twill-type weaving, weave, often including gold or silver thread. The name "samite" derives from Old French , from medieval Latin deriving from the Byzantium, ...

and is made from a piece of fabric according to a classic cut. From the shoulders to the hem the length of the garment is 124 cm. On the chasuble there was again a woolen fabric, which was a

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

. The garment nearest to the body is a silk

Dalmatic The dalmatic is a long, wide-sleeved tunic, which serves as a liturgical vestment in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, United Methodist, and some other churches. When used, it is the proper vestment of a deacon at Mass, Holy Communion or other ...

or Tunicella. The fabric has zoomorphically decorated medallions, vertical borders and a slit on the side. The dead man also wore

episcopal sandals Episcopal sandals, also known as pontifical sandals, are a Catholic pontifical vestment worn by bishops when celebrating liturgical functions according to the pre–Vatican II rubrics, for example a Tridentine Solemn Pontifical Mass. In shape, ...

. For the sandals the period from 980 to 1020 is considered the most probable dating. Bayer analyzed the elaborately crafted shoes together with Jutta Göpfrich, former head of restoration at the

German Leather Museum The German Leather Museum (''Deutsches Ledermuseum''), located in Offenbach am Main Offenbach am Main () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Hesse, Germany, on the left bank of the river Main (river), Main. It borders Frankfurt an ...

. The goatskin shoes lay broken on the disintegrated foot bone. A sandal shape with star-shaped decorative seams is recognizable. They can be compared with the pontifical shoes of

Gotthard of Hildesheim Gotthard (or Godehard) (960 – 5 May 1038 AD; ), also known as ''Gothard'' or ''Godehard the Bishop'', was a German bishop venerated as a saint. Life Gotthard was born in 960 near Niederalteich, Niederaltaich in the diocese of Passau. Gotthar ...

(†1038) and had to belong to a high ranking person. Only the highest clerics, especially bishops, were entitled to these

pontifical vestments Pontifical vestments, also referred to as episcopal vestments or pontificals, are the liturgical vestments worn by bishops (and by concession some other prelates) in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran ...

. Studies by anthropologist Carola Berszin showed that the 1.82 m tall, 40 to 60 year old man weighed about 70 kg and that he suffered from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

in his feet and

ankylosing spondylitis Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis from the disease spectrum of axial spondyloarthritis. It is characterized by long-term inflammation of the joints of the spine, typically where the spine joins the pelvis. With AS, eye and bow ...

. Why he lay upside down in the coffin is unclear. DNA investigations will be carried out in Bolzano.Der alte Dom zu Mainz
/ref> Thus it is also proven that the today evangelical Johanniskirche was the first cathedral of the episcopal city of

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

, in front of the later built today's

Mainz Cathedral Mainz Cathedral or St. Martin's Cathedral ( or, officially, ') is located near the historical center and pedestrianized market square of the city of Mainz, Germany. This 1000-year-old Roman Catholic cathedral is the site of the episcopal see of th ...

, which is bishop seat since 1036. That Erkanbald chose his official church for his burial is an extraordinary step in the burial tradition of the bishops and archbishops of Mainz. Up to his predecessor Willigis all were buried outside the city surrounded by walls.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erkanbald Archbishops of Mainz 11th-century archbishops 1021 deaths 10th-century births Year of birth unknown