Saint Erhard

Saint Erhard of Regensburg
Saint Erhard reads Mass
Died	7th century?
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Canonized	8 October 1052 by Pope Leo IX
Feast	8 January

Saint Erhard of Regensburg was bishop of Regensburg in the 7th century. He is identified with an Abbot Erhard of Ebersheimmunster mentioned in a Merovingian diploma of 684. Ancient documents call him also Erard and Herhard.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "the legendary account of his life offers little that is historically certain." He was born in Ireland. Like many of his countrymen he went to the Continent as missionary bishop or chorepiscopus, and coming to the Vosges met there St. Hildulf, said to have been Archbishop of Trier, and who lived there as a hermit (666-671). He is called Erhard's brother, but very likely spiritual relationship was meant.

It is said that each of them founded seven monasteries. Thence Erhard went to Regensburg and founded the nunnery of Niedermünster. By Divine inspiration he was recalled to the Rhineland to baptize St. Odilia, blind from her birth, but who received her eyesight at her baptism. He sent a messenger to her father, Duke Attich, and reconciled him with his disowned daughter. According to another account, St. Odilia was baptized by Hildulf, Erhard acting as her sponsor. Theodo of Bavaria acted as Erhard's patron.

The year of his death is not known. He was interred in the still-extant Erhard-crypt at Niedermünster, and miracles were wrought at his grave, that was guarded in the Middle Ages by Erhardinonnen, a religious community of women who observed there a perpetual round of prayer.

Otto II, in 974, made donations of properties in the Danube valley to the convent "where the holy confessor Erhard rests". On 7 Oct 1052 the remains of the holy bishops Erhard and Saint Wolfgang were raised by Pope Leo IX in presence of Emperor Henry III and many bishops, a ceremony which was at that time equivalent to canonization. Regensburg documents, however, mention only the raising of Wolfgang, not that of Erhard.