BERNWARD, Saint. – Bishop of Hildesheim (c. 960 – 1022). A descendant of a noble Saxon family, he was taken in by his uncle Folkmar, later Bishop of Utrecht, and educated at the cathedral school in Hildesheim. Still young, having moved from the household of Count Palatine Atelebro to the imperial court, the Empress Theophano entrusted him with the education of her son, Otto III, over whom B. exercised a decisive influence.
When Bishop Gerdag of Hildesheim died at the end of 992, B. was elected to succeed him. From that time forward, he dedicated himself to the welfare and advancement of his diocese. A promoter of cultural development, he spread it among his subjects, including through libraries. Founder of numerous monasteries, tradition credits him with even manual labor in their construction and describes him as an artist himself, as well as an enthusiastic leader of artistic endeavors. He died after assuming the Benedictine habit on 20 November 1022. Celestine III canonized him on 20 December 1192. Benedict XIV included him in the Roman Martyrology on 26 October in 1748.