Irmina of Oeren (also called Ermina and Hirmina; d. 720) was a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

, founder and

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

of a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican C ...

in Oeren (now

Alveringem Alveringem (; vls, Oalveringem) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Alveringem proper, Beveren-aan-de-IJzer, Gijverinkhove, Hoogstade, Izenberge, Leisele, Oeren, Sint-Ri ...

in West Belgium), and co-founder of a convent in

Echternach Echternach ( lb, Iechternach or (locally) ) is a commune with town status in the canton of Echternach, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town i ...

(now eastern Luxembourg).

Hagiographer A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...

Basil Watkins states that Irmina's 12th century biography is "unreliable" and it is likely that "legends about her family tree spiralled out of control", but she came from one of the most powerful families in the

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

kingdom. She might have been Saint Primina, the daughter of

Dagobert I Dagobert I ( la, Dagobertus; 605/603 – 19 January 639 AD) was the king of Austrasia (623–634), king of all the Franks (629–634), and king of Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dyna ...

and sister of

Saint Modesta Saint Modesta (died c. 680) was the founder and Abbess of the monastery of Oeren in Trier, Germany. Biography Modesta was the niece of Itta of Metz and a cousin of St. Gertrude (626–659). Modesta became a Benedictine nun and was appointed t ...

. She might have been the daughter of

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 n ...

and sister of Saint Adela of Pfalze.Dunbar, p. 414 Historian Ian Wood stated that Irmina is "traditionally, and probably correctly, identified as Plectrude's mother". According to many versions of Irmina's biography, when she was fifteen years old, she was engaged to marry a man named Count Hermann, but just before they were to marry, he was killed in a murder-suicide by one of his servants, who "admired Irmina and could not bear that his master should have her". Irmina's father was ready to marry her to another man, but she chose to become a nun instead, a decision he supported, building her a convent in Oeren, which was eventually named after her and where she later became its second abbess. She was succeeded as abbess by her sister,

. Irmina donated lands to help co-found, with

Saint Willibrord Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary and saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands. He became the first bishop of Utrecht and died at Echternach, Luxembourg. Early life His father, ...

of Northumberland, the convent in Echternacht in 697 or 698. Historian Jamie Kreiner called the founding of the Echternacht convent "a cooperative venture" between Willibrord and Irmina's family, who later promised to protect the convent and its holdings after Willibrord promised

fidelity Fidelity is the quality of faithfulness or loyalty. Its original meaning regarded duty in a broader sense than the related concept of ''fealty''. Both derive from the Latin word ''fidēlis'', meaning "faithful or loyal". In the City of London fin ...

to them in 706. Watkins reported that Irmina was "generous to both Celtic and

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

monks". Irmina died in 720 at the monastery at Weissenburg, which was also founded by her father. Irmina's feast day is December 24. She is the patron saint of Trevos and is represented with a church in her hand, signifying her status as a church founder, and with two angels above her head, carrying her soul to heaven.

References

Works cited

* Dunbar, Agnes B.C. (1901). ''A Dictionary of Saintly Women''. 1. London: George Bell & Sons. pp. 413–414. {{Authority control 7th-century births 720 deaths 7th-century Frankish women 7th-century Frankish nobility Colombanian saints