Reinold

Saint Reinold (Reinoldus, Reinhold of Cologne), a holy monk, was a Benedictine monk of the 10th century at the abbey of Saint Pantaleon in Cologne, Germany, and reposed in the year 960. He is said to have been a direct descendant of Charlemagne; the legend mingles him with the hero of the tale of Renaud de Montauban, one of the four sons of Aymon.

He entered the monastic life at Saint Pantaleon and was put in charge of a building project of the abbey. He used to work beside the stonemasons, at times surpassing them, and envy proved fatal to him: the masons killed him with hammers, and his body was thrown into a pool near the Rhine. The body was found later by divine revelation. For this reason he is regarded as the patron of stonemasons.

He is the patron of the city of Dortmund, where the church of Saint Reinold (Reinoldikirche) was dedicated to him; more recent research suggests that an exchange of relics between Cologne and Dortmund took place. He is commemorated on 7 January, by the Western calendar (new style). He is honored as a saint of the undivided Church.