Saint Osmanna (or Agariarga) was said to be a virgin of Irish royal origin who lived alone in the woods near the mouth of the

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

in France, performed many miracles of healing, and came to be considered a saint. Her story may have little basis in fact. Her feast day is 9 September.

Life

Osmanna probably lived in the 6th or 7th century. She was said to have been from a royal family of Ireland, and was brought up as a pagan. She did not want to marry the man her parents chose for her, so left Ireland for France to live alone (apart from a maidservant) in woods near the

river. A wild boar that was being hunted took refuge with her, and the hunter found her. The local bishop persuaded her to learn the Christian faith, accept baptism and become a virgin dedicated to God. She continued to live alone, and cured several people by prayer. After her death, her place of burial in Jotrum (

Jouarre Abbey Jouarre Abbey (''Abbaye Notre-Dame de Jouarre'') is a Benedictine abbey in Jouarre in the département of Seine-et-Marne. History This Merovingian foundation was established around 630, by Adon, son of Saint Authaire (Audecharius), inspire ...

), near

Meaux Meaux () is a Communes of France, commune on the river Marne (river), Marne in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, Franc ...

, was the scene of many miracles. A church was built over the site of her hermitage, and later an oratory was built nearby, the center of the parish of

Sainte-Osmane Sainte-Osmane () is a former commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Val-d'Étangson. The 17th-century French Benedictine Ambroise Janvier ...

. For many centuries the

Abbey Church of Saint Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

, near Paris, held a large part of her relics. A chapel there was dedicated to the saint, and her remains were held in an iron shrine. richly gilt. During the

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

upheavals of 1567 her relics were profaned and dispersed, and any remaining relics in the Abbey were removed in 1793 during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. The saint is venerated in Paris, Saint-Brieuc and Le Mans. Her feast day is 9 September. Her story may be mythical.

Butler's account

The hagiographer

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer. Biography Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died when ...

(1710–1773) wrote in his ''Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints'',

O'Hanlon's account

John O'Hanlon (1821-1905) thought that Osmanna's true acts were probably mixed with "obscurities, uncertainties and fables". He wrote that "...although some old Lives of her are extant, they are negligently and injudiciously composed, while they are of a character not to merit implicit belief." He then summarized her story as follows,

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Osmanna, Saint Female saints of medieval Ireland Female saints of medieval France 7th-century deaths