Hildebold Cologne

In 787, Hildebold, according to the desire of Charlemagne , was elevated to the rank of bishop of Cologne. In 791, Hildebold became the supreme priest of the chapel of the court and at the same time chancellor of the Frankish state . He was one of Carl's most influential advisers. At the insistence of the latter , Pope Adrian I in 794 relieved Hildebold of his permanent duties in Cologne so that the priest could be permanently present at the residence of Charlemagne. At the chapel of Charles were many of Alcuin's disciples, as well as court scholars who had biblical names. So, the second name of Hildebold "Aaron" was associated with his rank of high church minister and bishop. His contemporaries and associates Alcuin, Engelbert, and Theodulf Orleans repeatedly mention him in their writings. The court chapel of Karl, headed by his supreme priest in the Frankish state, was considered as the center of religious, Christian government in the country and therefore had a huge impact on the spiritual, church and political life. In particular, the foundations of the development of writing in the Christian West (the so-called Carolingian minuscule ) were laid here.

According to the wishes of Charlemagne, in 794/795, Pope Adrian I raises the status of the church diocese of Cologne from bishop to archbishop. Hildebold thus becomes the first archbishop of Cologne. The bishoprics of Bremen , Utrecht , Liege , Minden , Münster and Osnabruck now also obeyed Cologne. The archbishop begins construction work to expand the Cologne Cathedral , later this cathedral was called by the inhabitants of the city "Hildebold Cathedral" ("Hildebold-Dom").

Hildebold becomes one of the closest individuals to Charlemagne. In 799, he directs the arrival of Pope Leo III at the residence of Charles in Paderborn . In 801, he became rector of the monastery of Saints Cassius and Florence in Bonn, in 802 - the monastery of Mondsee. In Cologne, the archbishop organizes a school at the cathedral, creates a cathedral library. From the 12 manuscripts preserved in Cologne, which were part of the Hildebold library, it can be determined that these are the texts of the fathers of the church , commentaries on the Bible, essays on church law, as well as on natural history, time calculus and astronomy.

On March 30, 805, Hildebold blessed the missionary of the Frisians and Saxons Ludger in Cologne and elevated him to the rank of Bishop of Munster. In 811, he was the first to sign the will of Charlemagne, in which the Cologne Archbishopric was approved as the first in the country of the Franks. In 813, Hildebold, together with the Archbishop of Mainz Richulf, holds a church synod in the Abbey of St. Alban in Mainz . In the same year, he anoints the heir to Charlemagne, Louis the Pious , to the kings of the Frankish state. In 814, Hildebold cathedrals the dying emperor Charles in Aachen.

After the death of his friend emperor, the archbishop retains his place and influence. In 815, he accompanies the arrival of Pope Stephen V in Reims , where the coronation ceremony of Louis the Pious imperial crown took place.

In the folk tradition of Cologne, there is a saga about the beginning of the friendship of Hildebold and Charlemagne: “ Once, before choosing a worthy bishop of Cologne, King Karl hunted in the forest. The retinue accompanying him fell behind, and the king suddenly rode out to a small chapel. Tired, Karl tied a horse at the entrance to went inside. The king settled in the back of the church to rest a bit. Suddenly, the building began to fill with people, and the rural priest Hildebold held a service. The king liked the prayer of the young canon so much that after the service he wished to donate a gold coin. Hildebold did not recognize the king, and pitying the poor, but so generous hunter, he did not take the gold from him, and asked only for part of the roe's skin - if such a Carl could ever shoot. With this piece of leather, the priest hoped to weave his old, tattered Bible. Charlemagne, surprised and impressed by the modesty of the young cleric, from that day took him under his care, which then grew into a close friendship. And since the people and clergymen at the election of the bishop of Cologne could not come to a single decision, Karl approved Hildebold as his candidate. "

Historians and writers Castellanus and Aegidius Gelenius report Hildebold as a saint of the Catholic Church. Until 1638, the tombstone of the archbishop bore the inscription " holy ."

• Heinz Fingert: Die Dombibliothek zu Köln , Vortrag, gehalten anlässlich der Präsentation der “Digitalen Handschriftenbibliothek Köln” am Donnerstag, dem 31. Mai 2001 online
• Geschichte des Erzbistums Köln. Bd. 1: Das Bistum Köln von den Anfängen bis zum Ende des 12. Jahrhunderts , hg. von Eduard Hegel, 2. Aufl. neu bearbeitet v. Friedrich Wilhelm Oediger, Bachem Köln 1971
• Joachim M. Plotzek: Zur Geschichte der Kölner Dombibliothek . In: Glaube und Wissen im Mittelalter. Katalogbuch zur Ausstellung. München 1998, S. 15-64