Blessed Balto of Wessobrunn
Blessed Balto of Wessobrünn (died c. 9th century AD in Wessobrünn, Bavaria, Germany) was a Benedictine monk at the ancient Abbey of Wessobrünn in Bavaria who is venerated in local tradition as a blessed. Wessobrünn Abbey (founded c. 753 by Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria) is celebrated in cultural history as the place where the Wessobrünn Prayer (Wessobrunner Gebet) was written — the oldest surviving prayer in the German (Old High German) language, dating to approximately 790 AD. Balto was a monk at this spiritually and culturally significant abbey. He is venerated locally in the Diocese of Augsburg. His feast day is observed locally.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Balto of Wessobrünn, Blessed Balto of Wessobrunn
| Blessed Balto of Wessobrunn | |
|---|---|
| Profession | Benedictine monk; contemplative; early medieval Bavarian Catholic monk |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Order of Saint Benedict; Abbey of Wessobrünn; Carolingian Benedictine tradition; Bavarian Catholic culture; Diocese of Augsburg |
| Patronage | Wessobrünn; Bavaria; Benedictine monks; the Pfaffenwinkel region; German Catholic culture; monasticism |
| Attributes | Benedictine habit (black robe); a book or scroll (the Wessobrünn Prayer tradition); cross; Bavarian Alpine landscape |
| Birthplace | Bavaria, Germany |
| Death Place | Wessobrünn, Bavaria, Germany |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; Balto (or Baltram) was a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Wessobrünn in the Pfaffenwinkel region of Upper Bavaria; he died there, probably in the 9th century, in the early period of the abbey's history; his memory was preserved in the abbey's necrology and in local Bavarian Catholic tradition; he is venerated as a blessed of the Benedictine tradition in the Diocese of Augsburg |
| Primary Shrine | Former Abbey of Wessobrünn, Bavaria, Germany — local veneration; Bavarian Benedictine tradition |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; local feast in the Diocese of Augsburg and in Bavarian Benedictine tradition |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Balto (or Baltram) was a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Wessobrünn in the Pfaffenwinkel region of Upper Bavaria, probably living in the 8th-9th century. The Abbey of Wessobrünn — founded around 753 by Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria — was one of the important Carolingian abbeys of Bavaria and is celebrated as the place where the Wessobrünn Prayer (Wessobrunner Gebet) was written around 790 AD — the oldest surviving German-language prayer.
Balto lived and died at this historically and spiritually significant abbey, contributing to the life of prayer, work, and study that characterized Benedictine monastic culture in the Carolingian period.
He is venerated in the local Benedictine tradition and in the Diocese of Augsburg.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Bavaria, Germany
Death location: Wessobrünn, Bavaria, Germany
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Veneration
Blessed Balto of Wessobrünn was a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Wessobrünn in Upper Bavaria — the abbey celebrated as the origin of the Wessobrünn Prayer (oldest surviving German-language prayer, c. 790 AD) — venerated locally in the Bavarian Catholic tradition.
Prayers
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