Witta of Büraburg

Who is Witta of Büraburg?

Witta of Büraburg was one of the early Anglo-Saxon missionaries in Hesse and Thuringia in central Germany, disciple and companion of Saints Boniface and Lullus. Following the establishment by Boniface of the bishopric of Büraburg near Fritzlar in 741, Witta was the first and only bishop there. After his death in 747, no successor was appointed and Lullus, then archbishop of Mainz, incorporated the bishopric into his own because he wanted to have control over the Christian missionary efforts towards the East. Witta was buried in the chapel of Saint Sturm which Lullus later used as the nucleus for the new and influential Benedictine Hersfeld Abbey.

His feast day falls on October 26.