Kerhart (or Gerhart; died 22 May 1001) was

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

of the Abbey of Saint Gall from 990 to 1001.

Life

Before he was elected abbot, Kerhart is reported to have been the companion of his brother Kunibert, the former abbot of

Niederaltaich Abbey Niederaltaich Abbey (Abtei or Kloster Niederaltaich) is a house of the Benedictine Order founded in 741, situated in the village of Niederalteich on the Danube in Bavaria. Foundation and early history After its foundation in 741 by Duke Odilo o ...

, when he died on one of his travels. Kerhart's reign began after 27 January 990. It is possible that he signed a hymn, furnished with neumes, by

Pope Gregory I Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregori ...

. Kerhart might have been his scribe or composer.

Works

In Saint Gall's historiography, Kerhart comes out badly: His squandering of abbey property and the ruining of its breed is said to have caused a divide in the convent. One party, consisting of older conventuals who closely followed the rules, subsequently complained about Kerhart to Emperor

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...

. A certain Duke Muozo had to come to his rescue and prevent the trial. Afterwards, Kerhart apparently ruled even worse than before.

Notes and references

10th-century births Year of birth unknown 1001 deaths Abbots of Saint Gall {{Switzerland-bio-stub