DROGO. - Bishop of Metz, papal vicar. Natural son of Charlemagne, born on 17 June 801, compelled by Louis the Pious in 818 to embrace the ecclesiastical state, he was ordained priest in 822 and created bishop of Metz. Reconciled with Louis, he became his archchaplain with the title of archbishop and remained faithful to him in good fortune as in adversity. It was he who had the corpse brought from Ingelheim to Metz, where he wished it to be honorably buried. A supporter of the imperial idea, he at once sided with Lothair (MGH, Concilia aevi Karolini, II, p. 792), who gave him to his son Louis, sent to govern Italy, as companion and counselor (844). At that very time Sergius II (844-847) had been elected pope without imperial consent. D. accompanied Louis to Rome, recognized Sergius; but he wished him to swear fidelity to the Emperor and obtained the office of papal vicar over all the territories beyond the Alps, as St. Boniface and St. Chrodegang had already done (Jaffé-Wattenbach, 2586, 2607, 2608). It appears that this delegation practically resolved itself into a mere title: no mention is made of it in the synod of Thionville of Oct. 844, although it was presided over by D. himself (MGH, Capitularia regum Francorum, II, p. 113), and the Council of Ver, in Dec. of the same year, postponed the discussion of the value of this title to another council (MGH, ibid., II, pp. 382-87).
He ordained St. Ansgar, apostle of the Danes, bishop of Hamburg (831); he was abbot of Gorze, Luxeuil and St-Trond. He died in Nov. or Dec. of 855 or 856. Between 825 and 855 he had had prepared a Sacramentarium Drogonis (National Library of Paris, ms. lat. 9428), which is one of the most significant paleographic monuments of the Carolingian renaissance.
Bibliography3 works
Ireneo Daniele