Saint Pirmin | |
|---|---|
 Illustration from theHornbach Sacramentary [de]: Abbot Adalbert of Hornbach presents the manuscript to his patron saint, Pirmin | |
| Born | 700 somewhere in Spain |
| Died | (753-11-03)November 3, 753 Hornbach,Germany |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | November 3 |
Pirmin (Latin:Pirminius; before 700 – November 3, 753),[1] was aMerovingian-era monk and missionary who founded or restored numerous monasteries inAlemannia. He is regarded as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Pirmin was probably from the area ofNarbonne, possibly ofVisigothic origin.[1][2] Many Visigoths fled toFrancia after theArab conquest of Spain at the beginning of the 8th century.[3]
From 718 onwards, he was abbot of the monasteryQuortolodora inAntwerp (Austrasia)[4] and, together with its pupils, served the church inside thebroch,Het Steen. (In the 12th century, this church was dedicated toSaint Walpurga.) According to legend, Pirmin blessed a spring that wells up nearKaundorf. The spring’s water is said to have healing properties. A chapel on the site is dedicated to him.[5]
After a while Pirmin was invited by count Rohingus to stay at hisvilla in Thommen, nearSankt Vith in theArdennes. Pirmin gained the favour ofCharles Martel, mayor of the palace of Francia. He was sent to help rebuildDisentis Abbey in what is today Switzerland. In 724, he was appointed abbot of Mittelzell Abbey onReichenau Island, which had earlier founded.[1] Later, for political reasons, he was banished toAlsace. In 753, he died inthe abbey at Hornbach, where his body is entombed.
Pirmin's missionary work mainly took place in theAlsace and the upper area of theRhine and theDanube. Besides actively preaching and converting, he also founded or reformed many monasteries, such as those atAmorbach,Gengenbach,Murbach,Wissembourg,Marmoutier,Neuweiler, andReichenau. Pirmin secured endowments from area nobility:Odilo of Bavaria financed the foundation ofNiederaltaich Abbey,[3] Werner I of what became theSalian dynasty endowed the new abbey atHornbach.
The most important of Pirmin's books isDicta Abbatis Pirminii, de Singulis Libris Canonicis Scarapsus ("Words of Abbot Pirminius, extracts from the Single Canonical Books").[6] The book collects quotations from Church Fathers and scriptures, presumably for use by missionaries,[1] or reading during monastic meals. Written between 710-724, it contains the earliest appearance of the present text of theApostles' Creed.[7]
