St Othmar of Saint Gall was also referred to as Otmar.
He was a monk and a priest and served as the first abbot of the Abbey of St Gall in Switzerland.
He was born around 689 AD in Switzerland and died in 759 AD in Werd Island, near Echnez, Switzerland.
We celebrate his feast day on November 16 every year in the Catholic Church.
St Othmar of Saint Gall Biography | |
---|---|
Date of Birth | 689 AD |
Place of Birth | Switzerland |
Profession | Monk and priest |
Place of Work | Switzerland |
Date of Death | 759 AD |
Place of Death | Werd Island, near Echnez, Switzerland |
Feast Day | November 16 |
Canonization | Pre-congregation |
Patron Saint of | City of Saint Gall |
St Othmar of Saint Gall Life History
St Othmar of Saint Gall received his education in the ancient province of Rhaetia, a region that encompasses parts of modern Switzerland and Germany.
He served as a priest and presided over a church dedicated to Saint Florinus in Rhaetia, which is believed to be the same church where Saint Florinus had worked and was buried.
In the year 720 AD, Othmar was appointed as the abbot at Saint Gall, Switzerland, and he united the local monks into a monastery, following the rule of Saint Columban.
During his tenure as abbot, Othmar expanded the monastery’s facilities by adding a hospital and a school. He also transitioned the monastery to follow the Benedictine rule.
Legend has it that when Othmar provided food to the poor from a barrel of provisions, it miraculously never ran empty, no matter how much he distributed from it.
However, in 759 AD, Counts Warin and Ruodhart unjustly attempted to seize the property that belonged to the abbey.
Othmar courageously resisted their efforts, leading to his imprisonment at the castle of Bodmann and later on the island of Werd-on-the-Rhine. It was on this island that he died on November 16, 759, near Echnez, Switzerland.
His body was transferred to the monastery of Saint Gall in 769 AD, and he was entombed in the church of St Othmar at Saint Gall in 867 AD.
The veneration of Saint Othmar began shortly after his death, and he has become one of the most revered saints in Switzerland. He is often depicted as a Benedictine abbot holding a barrel in his hand.
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