Saint Bruno the Great

Saint Bruno the Great (born 925, Cologne—died October 11, 965, Reims, Champagne; feast day October 11) was the archbishop of Cologne and coregent of the Holy Roman Empire.

The youngest son of King Henry I the Fowler of Germany and St. Matilda, and brother of Emperor Otto I the Great, Bruno was educated at the cathedral school of Utrecht and the court school of Otto. Proficient in Latin and Greek, he was a patron of learning. As chancellor from 940, he prepared his brother’s official papers and after ordination to the priesthood accompanied him to Italy in 951. Already abbot of Lorsch and Corvey, where he restored monastic observance, he was elected to the see of Cologne in 953 and soon was named duke of Lorraine by Otto. As bishop, Bruno was a zealous and exemplary pastor, and his episcopate marked a new epoch in the city’s growth; among the many institutions he founded was the monastery of St. Pantaleon at Cologne. In the troubled duchy of Lorraine, by his prudent and statesmanlike policies he restored peace and devised a new administrative division, maintaining at the same time cordial relations with France. During Otto’s absence in Italy for his imperial coronation (962), Bruno shared the responsibilities of government and care of the Emperor’s son, Otto II. Bruno died on a mission to France and was buried at St. Pantaleon.