A monk of St. Maximin Benedictine monastery in Treves, Albert was sent by Emperor Otto the Great to convert the Russian subjects of Princess Olga at her request after she became a Christian in Constantinople at 70 years of age. When Olga's son Svyatoslav, a pagan, took the crown from her in 961, the missionaries were forced to flee, and some were killed near Kiev. Albert escaped, spent four years at the imperial court in Mainz, and then was made abbot of Weissenburg Abbey, where he became known as a patron of learning. In 962, at Otto's insistence, he was named first archbishop of Magdeburg, Saxony, with jurisdiction over the Slavs. He spent the rest of his life trying to spread Christianity among the Wends and reforming religious groups in his diocese. He died on a visit to Merseburg.
Comments
No comments posted.
Post your Comment
Comments that include profanity, personal attacks, antisocial behavior such as "spamming" and "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will not be posted on Catholic Online. Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of service. While Catholic Online invites robust discussion, we maintain the right to not print material that is patently false in its claims concerning the teaching of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, overtly anti-Catholic or which, in the opinion of the moderator, are intended to mislead readers as to what the Catholic Church teaches. Comments DO NOT necessarily reflect the opinion or views of Catholic Online.
RSS | Make Catholic Online Your Homepage
