Biography
Gundulf of Metz
About Gundulf of Metz
Gundulf, also called Gondulphus, served the church of Metz in the early ninth century. His episcopate followed a long vacancy after the death of Angilram. The surviving record is brief, preserving a place in the succession of bishops more clearly than a personal life story.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia places his accession probably in 816, while noting that the annals of Saint Vincent give 819. It records his attendance at the synod of Thionville in 821. Aldric, later bishop of Le Mans, spent five years at Metz during his episcopate. These details connect Gundulf with the church’s wider work, although they do not provide a detailed account of his own ministry.
A modern historical catalogue introduces another possibility: Gundulf may have been a subordinate bishop administering Metz while the principal see remained vacant. Its authors also suggest that he might previously have been a monk at Gorze. Both suggestions remain hypotheses, and neither supplies a secure account of his earlier life.
His burial at Gorze and his local commemoration on September 6 preserve his memory as a saint. The New Catholic Encyclopedia dates his death to 823 and identifies Drogo as his successor. Parisse and Hari instead give 822 as his death year. The disagreement is left unresolved here.
The older Catholic Encyclopedia reports no known special patronage for him.
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