Saint Arbogast

Saint Arbogast, born sometime in the 600s—his homeland variously remembered as Ireland or Scotland, Aquitaine, or Francia—came as a missionary to the Frankish lands and became one of the earliest bishops of Strasbourg. Though few details can be known with certainty, he was cherished from the early Middle Ages as the saint who helped root the Christian faith in Alsace, so much so that his name became beloved throughout the region. Later tradition tells of his friendship with the Merovingian king Dagobert, who appointed him bishop. Arbogast was renowned for holiness and for wonders worked through prayer. One famous account describes him raising the king’s son, Sigebert, after a fatal accident while hunting; when offered riches in return, Arbogast refused, urging instead that land be given for building a cathedral in Strasbourg. He also sought solitude, keeping a small hermitage by the River Ill, returning often to prayer. Venerated as patron of Strasbourg, Saint Arbogast is celebrated on July 21.