ECCHIERADO d'Aura. — First Benedictine abbot of Aura (Herrenaurach), hence called “Ekkehardus Uraugiensis.” Between the years 1091 and 1077 he lived at Bamberg and Corvey; in 1101 he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and the following year, on his return, he visited Rome; from that time he ceased to side with the Emperor in favor of the Pope. Bishop Otto of Bamberg appointed him abbot of the monastery of St. Lawrence in Aura. The year of his death is uncertain, but it must be placed after 1129.
He is associated with the work *Chronicon universale*, in which he narrates the events of the world from its beginnings up to the year 1125. Critics attribute the principal part of the chronicle up to 1101 to Abbot Frutolf of Michelsberg. The chronicle makes extensive use of sources, both ecclesiastical and secular, often transcribed “ad litteram.” Despite the variety of the narrative, E. orders everything with great clarity and precision. In its content it is the most perfect chronicle of the Middle Ages and the principal source for the years 1082–1125. It served as the basis for the *Chronica regia Coloniensis* of the 12th century.