“Who was St. Emmeram?” I asked myself aloud when I first encountered this statue. Let me tell you the story behind the St. Emmeram Statue.
This statue commemorates Emmeram of Regensburg. He was a Christian bishop and martyr. Emmeram was born in Poitiers, Aquitaine. He died near Munich in Helfendorf. The year of his death was approximately 652.
Emmeram’s feast day is September 22nd. He is often shown carrying a ladder. This is because of the way he died.
Around the year 649, Emmeram heard about idol worship in Bavaria. He decided to travel to Regensburg. Theodo I, Duke of Bavaria, welcomed him. Emmeram worked at Theodo’s court for three years. He did missionary work. He became known as a pious man.
Arbeo of Freising wrote Emmeram’s biography around 750. It was called Vita Sancti Emmerami. Arbeo’s writing tells that Emmeram was born into a noble family.
Legend says that Duke Theodo’s daughter, Uta, told Emmeram she was pregnant. The father was Sigipaldus. Emmeram advised her to name him as the father. He hoped to protect her shame.
Emmeram then left for a pilgrimage to Rome. Uta then told her father, Duke Theodo, that Emmeram was the father.
Lantpert, the Duke’s son, pursued Emmeram. Lantpert found Emmeram on the road to Augsburg. He greeted him sarcastically as “bishop and brother-in-law.” Emmeram did not defend himself. Lantpert and his men tortured Emmeram. They tied him to a ladder. They beheaded him.
Emmeram’s companions, Vitalis and Wolflete, found him alive. They tried to take him to Aschheim. Emmeram died soon after.
At the place of his death, a small chapel was built in 1842. St. Lorenz Church in Oberföhring has a side altar for St. Emmeram. In Saints Peter and Paul Church in Aschheim, a plaque marks his first grave.
St. Emmeram’s bones were moved to St. Emmeram’s Abbey. The church now holds his leg bones in a silver box. The church is called a basilica minor.
The St. Emmeram Statue stands as a reminder of his life. It tells a story of faith. It speaks to compassion. It shows a tragic end. May we reflect on his story. May we remember his sacrifice as we continue our tour.