Wikterp, St.
WIKTERP, ST.
Bishop and confessor; b. Epfach, near Landsberg, fl. 738; d. 749? Wikterp, the first historically certain bishop of Augsburg, rebuilt the church of St. Afra destroyed by the Huns. Attributed to him are the foundation of numerous important monasteries, e.g., Füssen, benediktbeuern, wessobrÜnn, ellwangen, Polling, ottobeuren, kempten. He participated with (St.) boniface in synods that introduced the Roman diocesan structure into the Church in Germany, hitherto organized around monasteries. He was buried at Epfach; his relics were translated in 1489 to the church of SS. Afra and Ulric in Augsburg. He is not to be confused with other Wikterps (e.g., of Regensburg, Tours).
Feast: April 18.
Bibliography: c. stengel, Vita s. Wicterpi episcopi Augustani et confessoris (Augsburg 1607). Acta Sanctorum (Paris 1863—) 2:545–549. a. hauck, Kirchengeschichte Deutschlands (Berlin-Leipzig 1958) 1:465, 502. a. bigelmair, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. m. buchberger (Freiburg 1930–38) 10:884. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes, ed. by the Benedictines of Paris (Paris 1935–56) 4:435. a. m. zimmermann, Kalendarium Benedictinum: Die Heiligen und Seligen des Benediktinerorderns und seiner Zweige (Metten 1933–38) 2:72–73.
[h. e. aikins]