German (1013–1054)

Biography

Son of a count, he spent his entire life in Reichenau Abbey. At birth he was the victim of an “obstetric trauma” that forced him to lead a physical life similar to that of a baby: he could barely move his tongue and hands a little. Despite these misfortunes, he was adorned with all kinds of intellectual gifts and was the greatest wise man of his time. A genius mathematician and astronomer, he was also a fine historian, a talented composer and an inspired poet. The Ave María Stella, the Alma Redemptoris and the Salve Regina are attributed to him. Emperor Henry II and Pope Leo IX visited him, however, Germán considered himself the last of the ignorant, and wrote in the prologue to a work of his about the astrolabe he invented: “I am, Germán, the remnant of Christ's poor, slower in understanding than a donkey.”