St. Colman of Stockerau

  Posted on August 24, 2024  by admin  No comments

Born: in the British Isles, exact location undetermined

Died: hanged in October 1012 at Stockerau, Austria

Patronage: against gout, against hanging, against plague, hanged men, horned cattle, horses, Austria, Melk, Austria.

Also known as Colman of Melk, Coloman, Colomannus, Koloman, Kálmán

Additional Memorial 13 October (traditional in the region of Austria)

May have been of noble or royal birth. Monk. While on a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands, Colman was stopped by the Viennese on suspicion of being a Moravian spy; there was continual fighting between Austria, Moravia and Bohemia, and a stranger who spoke no German was immediately suspect. With no evidence other than being a stranger, he was convicted of espionage, tortured, and hanged with two thieves. In the tradition of the time, the bodies were left to rot as a warning to others. Colman’s body hung there for 18 months, incorrupt, and untouched by animals. Miracles were reported at the site, including the scaffolding taking root and putting out branches. In 1015, bishop Megingard transferred Colman’s relics to Melk, Austria where they were entombed in an abbey on the Danube. The tomb became a site of miracles, and four popes have granted indulgences to those who call on his intercession. There is an annual blessing of horses and cattle held at Melk and near Füssen, Germany on his feast.