LUDOLF OF CORVEY, ST.

Abbot of corvey; d. Aug. 13, 983. The son of Corvey's bailiff Hoger, Ludolf entered the monastery of Corvey; in 965 he was elected abbot. Under his direction the monastic school flourished, teachers were excellent, and the pupils good. Ludolf was energetic and deeply spiritual. He was devoted to the poor souls and was reputedly endowed with extrasensory perception. He saw, for example, the bloody head of Margrave Gero lying before him on the altar during Mass at the very moment it was severed by the executioner in Magdeburg. Ludolf made a pilgrimage to Rome by way of Cologne and earned for his church the reputation of being a true and dutiful daughter of the apostolic see. In 973 otto ii confirmed the prerogatives of the abbey and agreed also to its engaging in profitable trade. Ludolf was active in building, surrounding the monastery by a high, strong wall. In 1100 his remains, together with those of Abbot druthmar, were solemnly elevated. Later (1662) they were placed in a gilt shrine and transferred to the mausoleum chapel in Corvey. There is a baroque statue of Ludolf in the choir of the monastery church.

Feast: Aug. 13, Feb. 21, June 5.

Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum Aug. 3:139–142. Die Chronik des Bischofs Thietmar von Merseburg, ed. r. holtzmann (Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum, Scriptores rerum Germanicarum [new series] 9; 1935). j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes 8:217–218. a. m. zimmermann, Kalendarium Benedictinum: Die Heiligen und Seligen des Benediktinerorderns und seiner Zweige 2:567, 570. j. e. stadler and f. j. heim, Vollständiges Heiligenlexikon, 5 v. (Augsburg 1858–82) 3:916.

[g. spahr]