Born in Ireland; died in Salzburg, Austria, November 27, c. 781-784.
Virgil was an Irish monk, possibly of Aghaboe, who went abroad about 740
intending to visit Palestine. With him were Dobdagrec, later abbot of a
monastery at Chiemsee, and Sidonius, afterwards bishop of Passau. His
learning and ability attracted the attention of
Blessed Pepin the Short (f.d. February 21),
who kept him at the Merovingian court for two years.
About 743, Pepin sent Virgil with letters of recommendation to his
brother-in-law, Duke Odilo of Bavaria, who, c. 745, appointed Virgil
abbot of Saint Peter's Monastery at Salzburg, with jurisdiction over the
local Christians, while Dobdagrec served its episcopal functions.
Instead of visiting Palestine he remained in Bavaria to help
Saint Rupert (f.d. March 27),
the apostle of Austria. For 40 years he
laboured to convert Teutons and Slavs, founded monasteries, churches,
and schools. (In 774, the council of Bavaria issued its first
pronouncement on the establishment of schools.)
Virgil appears to have been a somewhat difficult character and he
incurred the strong disapproval of
Saint Boniface (f.d. June 5),
who seems to have detested him. (Perhaps because of differences in the
interpretations of Roman observance or jurisdiction, or because Virgil
succeeded John whom Boniface had as abbot of Saint Peter's, or just
personal differences.) Boniface twice delated him to Rome. On the
first occasion
Pope Saint Zachary (f.d. March 22)
decided in Virgil's
favour. Through carelessness or ignorance, a priest had used incorrect
Latin wording during a baptism. Virgil and Sidonius ruled that the
baptism was valid and need not be repeated; Boniface of Mainz disagreed.
Zachary was surprised that Boniface should have questioned it and issued
a statement to that effect.
The other case concerned Virgil's cosmological speculations and their
implications, which, as reported to Zachary by Boniface, the pope found
very shocking. In 748, the pope directed Boniface to convene a council
to investigate the questionable views, but the council was never
convened. The incident has been the subject of much discussion and has
been used and exaggerated for polemical purposes, but in fact it is far
from clear what Virgil's ideas really were. It appears that Virgil
postulated that the world was round and that people might be living in
what would now be called the Antipodes. He was both a man of learning
and a successful missionary, and even after his cosmological views were
called into question, he was consecrated bishop of the see of Salzburg
(c. 766), whose cathedral he rebuilt.
Saint Virgil brought relics and the veneration of
Saints Brigid (f.d. February 1)
and
Samthann of Clonbroney (f.d. December 19)
to the areas
he evangelized. In fact, Saint Samthann, who may have provided Virgil
with his early education, is better known in Austria than in her
homeland.
Among his other good works, Virgil sent fourteen missionary monks headed
by
Saint Modestus (f.d. February 5)
into the province of Carinthia, of
which he is venerated as the evangelizer. He baptized two successive
dukes of Carinthia at Salzburg (Chetimar and Vetune). His influence is
revealed by the issuance during the time of duke Chetimar of a
Carinthian coin, an old Salzburg rubentaler, with the images of Saint
Rupert, who built Saint Peter's monastery, and Virgil. He fell ill and
died soon after making a visitation in Carinthia, going as far as the
place where the Dravo River meets the Danube.
His feast is kept throughout Ireland, although he is buried at St.
Peter's in Salzburg. Virgil is widely venerated in southern Germany,
Austria, Yugoslavia, and northern Italy
(
Attwater,
Attwater2,
Benedictines,
Coulson,
D'Arcy,
Encyclopaedia,
Farmer,
Fitzpatrick,
Gougaud,
Healy,
Husenbeth,
Kenney,
Montague).
Sometimes he is paired with Saint Rupertus in artwork
(
Roeder).
Virgil
is the patron of Salzburg, Austria
(
Farmer).