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Agilulfus of Cologne
Abbot and martyr
Feast: 31 March (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Agilulf, of good family, was educated at Stavelot under Abbot Angelinus and became abbot there, then Bishop of Cologne. Little is known of him; the one surviving life is untrustworthy.
He is said to have urged King Pepin on his deathbed not to leave the succession to his illegitimate son Charles Martel, and his violent death soon after is attributed to that prince's vengeance. Pope Zacharias commended him in 747 for signing a profession of the true faith.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
An abbot-bishop honoured as a martyr of the Church of Cologne.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Agilulfus
- Wikidata Q152426 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Agilulfus of Cologne (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.