| Saint Othmar (or Otmar) | |
|---|---|
 Saint Othmar |
|
| Born | c. 689, supposedly near Saint Gallen |
| Died | c. 759, Isle of Werd |
| Canonized | 864 |
| Major shrine | Saint Gallen |
| Feast | 16 November |
| Attributes | Bishop's Staff and wine barrel |
| Patronage | City of Saint Gall (together with Saint Gallus) |
St. Othmar (c. 689 – c. 759) was a priest appointed as the first abbot of the Abbey of St. Gall, a Benedictine monastery in St. Gall, Switzerland. He rebuilt the hermitage Gallus left behind and is called the founder of the monastery. He introduced the Benedictine rule, which should be in effect until the closure of the monastery in 1805. It is also assumed that he founded the monastery school of the abbey, which shall become the foundation upon which the famous Stiftsbibliothek (Monastery library) was built.
He died in prison during imprisonment on false accusations by two neighboring nobles. His feast day is November 16. [1] He is buried in St. Gallen, where he had been taken secretly ten years after his death. It is said that his body was still completelly intact when he was taken over Lake Constance to the town of Steinach and further to St. Gallen. As the weather was really bad when his men rowed his body over the sea, they became extremelly thirsty. Legends say that the only barrel of wine they had left would not become empty, regardless of how much they drank. Therefore the wine barrel became one of his attributes (beside the Bishop's staff, as first abbot of the monastery).
References
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