St. Benno of Meissen

St. Benno of Meissen was born around 1010 in Saxony and died about 1106, having served for some forty years as bishop of Meissen in eastern Germany. Formed as a Benedictine monk, he was known for his zeal in preaching and for his missionary labors among the Wends, the pagan Slavic peoples of his region, whom he sought to win to the faith, earning him honor as an apostle of the Slavs.

His long episcopate fell in the stormy years of the Investiture Controversy between the papacy and the Emperor Henry IV, and Benno, remaining loyal to the popes in their struggle for the freedom of the Church, suffered for his fidelity, including a period of deposition and hardship. Revered for his holiness, his charity, and his constancy, he was canonized in 1523 and later honored as a patron of the city of Munich and of Bavaria. His memory is kept on 16 June.