Saint Erhard of Regensburg

Saint Erhard of Regensburg was bishop of Regensburg in the 7th century. He is identified with an Abbot Erhard of Ebersheimmunster mentioned in a Merovingian diploma of 684. Ancient documents call him also Erard and Herhard. Peter Nugent, writing in the Catholic Encyclopedia says, "the legendary account of his life offers little that is historically certain". Erhard was born sometime in the 6th century. Modern scholars believe that he was of Frankish origin, perhaps from Narbonne in southern Gaul. His 11th century biography says he was 'Scoticus', i.e. from Ireland or Scotland. He is identified with an Erhard of Ebersheimmunster mentioned in a Merovingian diploma of 684. Some believe that Erhard was bishop of Ardagh before crossing to the mainland with Albert of Cashel, said to be his friend or his brother and who is also celebrated on the same date. Eventually they came to Rome. While Albert then went to Jerusalem, Erhard went to Bavaria. (The difficulty with this part of the story is that there is over 100 years separating Erhard and Albert.) There he met Saint Hildulf, said to have been Archbishop of Trier. For some time he shared the solitude of Hildulf who lived as a hermit in the Vosges from 666 to 671. Erhard was a traveling bishop, one of the early chorepiscopus, that is, a corb bishop or a walking bishop, who without a permanent diocese went from place to place to help the missionaries in their work. Said to have been appointed by Boniface, Erhard was probably a mission bishop at the court of the Agilofinger dukes in Regensburg. After the martyrdom of Emmeram, Erhard became bishop of Regensburg. Many monastic foundations go back to him, above all the famous monastery Niedermünster near Regensburg, which he himself led for a time as abbot. In all, he is said to have founded fourteen monasteries in Bavaria alone, and in the Vosges (Les Vosges) mountain range in the diocese of Strasbourg around seven monasteries.