Leopold III

Saint Leopold III was born in 1073 at the Babenberg castle in Gars am Kamp, in what is now Austria, the son of Margrave Leopold II and Ida of Formbach. Formed in the diocese of Passau under the influence of the reforming bishop Altmann, he grew into a ruler known for both firmness and faith. At just twenty-two he succeeded his father as Margrave of Austria, and through his marriage to Agnes of Germany—widow of Frederick of Hohenstaufen and sister of Emperor Henry V—he helped secure greater standing and stability for his land. Though considered for election as Holy Roman Emperor in 1125, he humbly declined. Leopold is especially venerated for renewing Christian life through the founding of monasteries, above all Klosterneuburg in 1108, as well as Heiligenkreuz, Kleinmariazell, and Seitenstetten—centers of prayer, learning, and cultivation in a still-forested territory. He also fostered the growth of towns such as Vienna and Krems. Canonized in 1485, he became patron of Austria and is also invoked in places such as Abetone and Follonica. He died on November 15, 1136; his feast day is November 15.