ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN APRIL
Saints celebrated on the 29th of April
THEOTGER, BISHOP OF METZ
Theotger (Theogerus, Theotgerus) was the 55th bishop of Metz. In the martyrologies of the Benedictines he sometimes bears the title "Saint", more often "Blessed". He does, however, not enjoy any ecclesiastical veneration at Metz.
When he was elected bishop in 1118, he held the position of abbot. His suggested Bavarian origin seems doubtful: from his youth he lived on the Rhine, studied under Mangold of Burtenbach in Alsace, became a canon near Mainz and head of the school there, and then entered the monastery under Abbot William of Hirschau. He became prior at the monastery of Reichenbach on the Murg. After this extensive preparation he was appointed in 1088 as the third abbot of St Georgen near Villingen in the Black Forest.
He was and remained a devout, enlightened religious, devoted to prayer and contemplation day and night, full of zealous severity toward his own, but indulgent and patient toward the faults of his brethren and subjects. Although he was always affable and cheerful when in company, he wept almost incessantly in his cell and at the altar. Even the people of the world could not escape his friendly nature, which won everyone's heart. He was also a great connoisseur of the art of music and left behind (Sauter, K.-G. Schwabens p. 208) a musical work of significant value.
Having been more or less forced to accept the election as bishop, he was never able to take possession of his See because the dismissal of Bishop Adalbero IV of Metz in the investiture dispute met with strong opposition. Theotger died on April 29, 1120 at Cluny in the odour of sanctity.
Theotger is also remembered on December 23.
(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume ,5, Augsburg, 1882, p. 488)
Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations
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