Alto of Altomünster
| St. Alto of Altomünster, O.S.B. | |
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Saint Alto awakens the Alto Spring, (detail) by Josef Mages (1728-1769), c. 1769, in the Church of St. Alto and St. Birgitta, Altomünster Abbey, Altomünster, Bavaria, Germany | |
| Abbot | |
| Born | Ireland |
| Died |
c. 760 Altomünster Abbey, Altomünster, Duchy of Bavaria |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church (Bavaria) & Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine | Altomünster Abbey, Altomünster, Bavaria, Germany |
| Feast | 9 February |
| Patronage | Diocese of Freising |
Alto, O.S.B., (died ca. 760) was a Benedictine abbot active in the Duchy of Bavaria during the mid-8th century. Tradition holds him to be the eponymous founder of Altomünster Abbey, around which a market town grew up, also called Altomünster. He is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Life
Little is known about Alto; he is believed to have arrived in the region as a wandering Irish monk, and to have previously lived as a hermit near both Munich and Augsburg.
There is a Vita of his life written by Otloh of St. Emmeram about 1062. A document held by the Diocese of Freising has a document dating perhaps to 763 with the signature Alto reclausus (Alto the hermit) which is considered to be his.[1]
A donation by King Pepin the Short gave Alto some wooded land on which to build his monastery, founded about A.D. 750.
A Gospel lectionary made for Altomünster Abbey has a metal cover which was added to the manuscript in 1489, depicting one of Saint Alto's miracles.[2]
Alto's feast day is celebrated on 9 February.
References
- ↑ "Sant' Altone Abate". Santi e beati.(Italian)
- ↑ "Gospels for the Year". World Digital Library. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
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