The Blessed Utto was the first

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of the

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Metten Abbey Metten Abbey, or St. Michael's Abbey at Metten (in German Abtei Metten or Kloster Metten) is a house of the Benedictine Order in Metten near Deggendorf, situated between the fringes of the Bavarian Forest and the valley of the Danube, in Bavaria ...

of the

Benedictine Order The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

. His feast is celebrated on October 3.

Biography

Utto was presumably a monk at the abbey of Reichenau; his place of birth is unknown. According to tradition he was a relative and the godson of the priest and landlord Gamelbert in the Bavarian community Michaelsbuch, a few kilometers up from the confluence of the river

Isar The Isar () is a river in Austria and in Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel mountain range of the Alps. The Isar river enters Germany near Mittenwald and flows through Krün, Wallgau, Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching ...

on the right-hand side of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

near the modern-day town of

Plattling Plattling is a town in the district of Deggendorf, Bavaria, Germany, on the river Isar, 9 km southwest of Deggendorf, just before it enters the Danube. Attractions Romanesque Jewel – Church Saint Jakob Romanesque pillars basilica wit ...

. As Gamelbert founded Metten Abbey on his ground around 766, he is said to have entrusted Utto with the settlement. Utto, who came from Reichenau to Metten together with twelve other monks was appointed the first abbot of the

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

. The name Abbot Utto of Metten appears in 772 in the

Verbrüderungsbuch A confraternity book (, or ''confraternitatis''), also called a ''liber memorialis'' (memorial book) or ''liber vitae'' (book of life), is a medieval register of the names of people who had entered into a state of spiritual brotherhood (confratern ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

abbeys) of the

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

of Dingolfing and in 784 in the Verbrüderungsbuch of St. Peter's Archabbey in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

. He died on October 3, 829 in Metten Abbey.

Legend

According to late medieval legend,

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

was the founder of Metten Abbey and Utto was a hermit in the woods around Metten. Charlemagne was said to have met him while hunting and to have promised the foundation of an abbey in the honour of

Saint Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

on the request of this pious man (after 788). A small church called Uttobrunn was erected in the 17th century at a spring to commemorate the site of this alleged meeting.

Relics

Metten Abbey keeps a medieval

crosier A crozier or crosier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catho ...

, that is revered as the staff of Blessed Utto. The crook is carved from walrus tooth to form a dragon encircling a lamb with a banner of victory. From comparison with similar objects it cannot be dated earlier than the beginning of the 13th century, however. The staff itself may be older, as a bronze band below the crook is inscribed with Romanesque majuscules: QVOD DŇS DominusPETRO, PETRVS TIBI CONTVLIT, VTTO (''What the Lord has assigned to Peter, Peter has assigned to you, Utto'').

References

*Bernhard Ponschab, ''Die seligen Utto und Gamelbert. Die Geschichte ihrer Verehrung und ihres Lebens'', Regensburg 1910. *''Bosls bayerische Biographie'', herausgegeben von Karl Bosl, Regensburg 1983, volume 1, 798. *Ekkart Sauser, ''Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon'', 2001, volume XIX, column 1462-1464

External links

* {{Authority control German abbots German beatified people German Benedictines 829 deaths Year of birth unknown