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Willigis
Archbishop of Mainz
SaintResearchedGermanyPre-congregation
Feast: 23 February (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
940
Died
23 February 1011
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Willigis, of humble birth but well educated, became chancellor of Germany and in 975 Archbishop of Mainz and Primate of Germany, an ideal bishop of his century who demanded solid learning of his clergy.
He crowned Otto III and Henry II, presided over the synod that created the Diocese of Bamberg, and always kept close ties with Rome. He died on 23 February 1011.
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 ideal archbishop who served Church and Empire.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Willigis
- Wikidata Q77564 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Willigis (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.