Ludolph of Ratzeburg
Premonstratensian Bishop of Ratzeburg and saint
Feast: 29 March (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
At Wismar in Holstein in Germany, Saint Ludolph, bishop of Ratzeburg and martyr, who, for having defended the freedom of the Church, was thrown by order of Duke Albert into a squalid prison and was so physically worn down by it that, as soon as he was freed from his chains, he departed this world.
The miracles
The Roman Martyrology does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Roman Martyrology remembers him on 29 March as a bishop of Ratzeburg and martyr who died after imprisonment for defending the freedom of the Church.
- Roman Martyrology, 29 March (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q6698944 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Ludolph of Ratzeburg (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.