Saint Meinhard
first bishop of Livonia (ca 1130 – ca 1196)
Feast: 11 October (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Meinhard was born in Germany between 1134 and 1136; nothing is known of his youth. A monk, already advanced in years, he set out to evangelise the Latvian people and built the church of Üxküll.
Ordained bishop, the first bishop of Latvia, he laid firm foundations for the faith there. His mission soon outgrew one man's strength; old and ill, he died before the help he longed for arrived, grieved at what seemed the failure of his work.
The miracles
John Paul II honoured him at Riga on 8 September 1993. The Dicastery's biography does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
An old monk who became the apostle and first bishop of Latvia.
Connected on this site
- John Paul II Saint“John Paul II honoured him at Riga on 8 September 1993.” — this site's research
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: Meinhard (San Meinardo)
- Wikidata Q697892 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Saint Meinhard (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.