Irmina of Oeren
Irmina of Oeren (also called Ermina and Hirmina; d. 720) was a saint, founder and abbess of a convent in Oeren (now Alveringem in West Belgium), and co-founder of a convent in Echternach (now eastern Luxembourg). Hagiographer Basil Watkins state ...
(? - c. 716) were possibly two princesses who may have been the daughters of Saint
Dagobert II
Dagobert II ( la, Dagober(c)tus; ang, Dægberht; died 679) was a Merovingian king of the Franks, ruling in Austrasia from 675 or 676 until his death. He is one of the more obscure Merovingians. He has been considered a martyr since at least the ni ...
and his Anglo-Saxon wife, but this has largely been disproved. Some have also said Adela was the daughter of
Irmina of Oeren
Irmina of Oeren (also called Ermina and Hirmina; d. 720) was a saint, founder and abbess of a convent in Oeren (now Alveringem in West Belgium), and co-founder of a convent in Echternach (now eastern Luxembourg). Hagiographer Basil Watkins state ...
.
Family
Dagobert acceded to the throne of
Austrasia
Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of the F ...
at the age of seven, upon the death of
Sigebert III
Sigebert III ( 630–656) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia from 633 to his death around 656. He was described as the first Merovingian ''roi fainéant'' —do-nothing king—, in effect the mayor of the palace ruling the kingdom througho ...
, but was quickly deposed. Dagobert fled to
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and returned to
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
in 673 and claimed the throne. During exile, some have said he married an
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
princess
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subst ...
named Matilda (or Mechthilde) and had five children, with saints Adela and Irmina among them.According to the 8th century
Vita Sancti Wilfrithi
The ''Vita Sancti Wilfrithi'' or ''Life of St Wilfrid'' (spelled "Wilfrid" in the modern era) is an early 8th-century hagiographic text recounting the life of the Northumbrian bishop, Wilfrid. Although a hagiography, it has few miracles, while i ...
("Life of St. Wilfrid"), and also mentioned in one of the versions of the ''Vita Sancti Arbogasti'' by Utho Argentinensis. However, this story is now believed by many to have been a fabrication.
Life
Adela was married and had a child by her husband, Alberic. Alberic died within a few years of the marriage. Despite multiple marriage offers, she chose to take up religious life. She founded the convent of Palatiolum in lands that were then undeveloped outside of
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
. The site later developed into the town of Pfalzel. She was the second abbess of this convent, after the archbishop' sister Severa, and died on December 24, 735.
Some sources record that she was the grandmother of
Gregory of Utrecht
Gregory of Utrecht ( 700/705 – August 25, 776) was born of a noble family at Trier.
.
She shares the feast day of 24 December with her sister Irmina.
References
*Englebert, Omer. ''The Lives of the Saints.'' Christopher and