Ymmo (died 30 October 984) was abbot of the

Abbey of Saint Gall The Abbey of Saint Gall () is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot where Saint Gall had er ...

from 976 to 984.

Life

Ymmo succeeded Ekkehart I as dean in 973. Around the middle of January 976, he was elected abbot and invested by Emperor

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Otto II was ...

. In the records, he is mentioned three times as abbot: in 976, on 29 October 980 and in 981. He took sides with Emperor Otto II when he came in conflict with the Bavarian Duke

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

Works

Like his predecessor Notker, Ymmo was regarded as a gentle abbot. However, he is also described as a strict follower of the

Rule of Saint Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of th ...

(Latin: ''Regula Benedicti''). Ymmo succeeded in initiating an economic revival for the abbey and also managed to recover or acquire new property. The

Church treasure A church treasury or church treasure is the collection of historical art treasures belonging to a church, usually a cathedral or monastery (monastery treasure). Such "treasure" is usually held and displayed in the church's treasury or in a dioces ...

accreted under his rule, wherefore he was able to let new frescos be painted in the churches of Gallus and

Othmar Othmar, also spelled Otmar or Ottmar, is a masculine German given name, derived from the Germanic name ''Audamar'', from the elements ''aud'' "wealth, prosperity" and ''mar'' "fame". Notable people with the name include: * Saint Othmar, medieval ...

. Furthermore, he built the chapel for the holy grave with a crypt dedicated to Saint Ulrich.

Notes and references

External links

* Feller-Vest, Veronika. 2012: "Ymmo"
Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz.
984 deaths Year of birth unknown Abbots of Saint Gall 10th-century Christian abbots {{Switzerland-reli-bio-stub