Saint Lioba
Saint Lioba (also Leoba; born c. 700 AD in Wessex, England; died September 28, 782 AD in Schornsheim, Germany) was an Anglo-Saxon Benedictine abbess and missionary who traveled to Germany at the invitation of Saint Boniface to help evangelize the Germanic peoples. She became abbess of Tauberbischofsheim and trained a generation of abbesses who spread throughout Germany. She was one of the most learned women of her time and a trusted spiritual adviser of Boniface himself. Her feast day is September 28.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Lioba
| Saint Lioba | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 28 |
| Profession | Benedictine abbess; missionary to Germany; educator; spiritual director |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Benedictine Order; Anglo-Saxon missionary tradition; collaborator of Saint Boniface; Germany mission |
| Patronage | Germany; abbesses; women missionaries; women educators; those who work in cross-cultural missions; Anglo-Saxon Christian tradition |
| Attributes | Abbess's staff; Benedictine habit; book (her learning); Germany (the mission field); Tauberbischofsheim; Fulda |
| Birthplace | Wessex, England (exact location unknown) |
| Death Place | Schornsheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died September 28, 782 AD at Schornsheim; she had been given a country residence near Mainz after the death of Boniface in 754 and spent her final years there |
| Primary Shrine | Fulda Cathedral, Hesse, Germany — her relics; buried near Saint Boniface as he requested; a pilgrimage destination in Germany; also Tauberbischofsheim, where she served as abbess |
| Liturgical Class | Optional Memorial; September 28; feast in Germany and England |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar; observed in Germany and England |
Biography
Lioba (also written Leoba, a shortening of "Liobgetha") was born around 700 AD in Wessex, England, into an Anglo-Saxon noble family. She entered the double monastery of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, where she received an excellent education in Scripture, Latin, and the Church Fathers.
She began corresponding with Saint Boniface, the great missionary to the Germanic peoples, who had known her father. Around 748 AD, at his invitation, she traveled to Germany with a group of Anglo-Saxon nuns. Boniface appointed her abbess of Tauberbischofsheim. From there she governed her community, trained abbesses for other monasteries throughout Germany, and became one of the key figures in the Christianization of central Europe.
She was widely consulted on theological matters by bishops and rulers. After Boniface's martyrdom in 754, she continued her work for some years, then retired to a country residence near Mainz, where she died on September 28, 782.
At Boniface's request, she was buried at Fulda, near him. The monk Rudolf of Fulda wrote her Life around 836, drawing on the testimony of four elderly nuns who had known her personally.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Wessex, England (exact location unknown)
Death location: Schornsheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Fulda Cathedral, Hesse, Germany — her relics; buried near Saint Boniface.
- Tauberbischofsheim, Baden-Württemberg — the monastery she governed; local pilgrimage.
Feast day
September 28
Veneration
Saint Lioba is venerated as one of the principal women missionaries and abbesses of the early medieval period. She is venerated in Germany and England. Her feast is September 28.
Prayers
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