Saint Rembert of Bremen
A disciple of Saint Ansgar, Rembert became Archbishop of Bremen and Hamburg in the 9th century. A Benedictine monk at Corvey while fulfilling his duties, he was distinguished by his immense charity, selling sacred vessels to ransom slaves. He completed the evangelization of the North begun by his master.
Contemporaries
Figures and markers around the normalized period for this entry.
Guided reading
5 reading sections
SAINT REMBERT OF BREMEN (888).
Youth and Vocation
Originally from Flanders, Rembert was noticed from childhood by Saint Ansgar, who educated him at the monastery of Thorolt.
Rembert Rembert Archbishop of Bremen and disciple of Saint Ansgar. , disciple and successor of Saint Ansgar to saint Anschaire Predecessor of Rembert and evangelizer of the North. the see of Breme n, wa Brême Episcopal see founded by Willehad. s born near Bruge s, in Bruges Birthplace of Blessed Gauthier. Flanders. Saint Ansgar, having noticed one day, among a crowd of children going to church, a young boy remarkable for his air of modesty and his piety, inquired about his name. Believing he recognized in him all the marks of a pure heart and a well-gifted mind, he asked his parents to place him in his community of Thorolt and immediately conferred communauté de Thorolt Place of Rembert's initial formation. the tonsure upon him. This child was Saint Rembert.
Succession and monastic commitment
Designated successor of Ansgar, he became Archbishop of Bremen and Hamburg while embracing the Benedictine rule at New Corvey.
The holy archbishop soon associated him with his apostolic labors, and when he died, he replied to those who consulted him on the choice of his successor: "Rembert is more worthy to be archbishop than I am to be a deacon." He was indeed merely a deacon, but he was elected on the very day of Ansgar's burial to govern the united dioceses of Bremen and Hamburg. After h is conse Hambourg Diocese united with that of Bremen. cration, he remembered a vow he had made to become a religious if he survived his beloved master Ansgar. To fulfill it, he went to take the habit at New Corvey, where he solemnl y promised to k nouvelle Corbie Monastery where Rembert took the Benedictine habit. eep the rule of Saint Benedict as much as his new office would allow.
Episcopate and works of charity
He continued the evangelization of the North, protected Frisia from the Normans, and sold Church property to ransom slaves.
During his episcopate, the Normans made numerous incursions into Frisia: through his prayers, he delivered one of the cities of that land that was on the point of being taken. Like his predecessor, he had general oversight of the churches north of the Elbe: Germany, Sweden, Denmark, etc.; he put the finishing touches on the work so happily begun by Saint Ansgar. His charity for the unfortunate was great: he did not hesitate one day to sell the vessels of his church to ransom the slaves whom the Normans had come to capture within the borders of his diocese. He died in 888, at a very advanced age, after having been bishop for twenty-three years and five months. He w as bu Brême Episcopal see founded by Willehad. ried in Bremen, and according to the wish of his humility, outside the w alls of the ch saint Willshad First bishop of Bremen. urch, next to Saint Willehad, the first bishop of that city.
Iconographic representations
The saint is traditionally depicted with a cross, broken sacred vessels, or in prayer during a battle.
He is represented 1° standing holding a double-barred cross; 2° distributing to the poor the fragments of the sacred vessels he had broken to help his people during a famine; 3° praying in the vicinity of a great battle which, thanks to his prayers, the faithful of his diocese won against the pagans.
Literary Heritage
Author of the biography of his predecessor Ansgar and a spiritual letter addressed to the Abbess Walburga.
We have from Saint Rembert: 1° the life of Saint Ansgar, written with great fidelity and taste; 2° a letter to Walbu rga, fir Walburge First abbess of Nienheersa and correspondent of Rembert. st abbess of Nienheersa. It is a very pathetic exhortation to humility and virginity.
Iconography
Signs and attributes
Entities
Narrative network
The names, places, and concepts most present in the entry, weighted by centrality in the text.
The supernatural in their life
The miracles of Saint Rembert of Bremen
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Joined the community of Thorolt
- Election as Archbishop of Bremen and Hamburg on the day of Saint Ansgar's funeral
- Took the habit at New Corvey (Rule of Saint Benedict)
- Liberation of a city in Frisia from the Normans through prayer
- Redeemed slaves by selling church vessels
- Died in 888 after 23 years and 5 months of episcopate
Quotes
-
Rembert is more worthy to be an archbishop than I am to be a deacon
Saint Ansgar