EKKEHARD OF SANKT GALLEN

The name of three monks of the Abbey of sankt gallen, Switzerland.

Ekkehard I, teacher and poet, of a noble family; b. Thurgau, c. 910; d. Sankt Gallen, Jan. 14, 973. When dean of the monastery he was selected as abbot, but he renounced the dignity. He made a pilgrimage to Rome, establishing friendly relations with Pope john xiii. He composed seven sequences and three hymns or religious poems. Doubt has been cast on his authorship of Waltharius, a Latin epic based on German folk saga, which has traditionally been attributed to him.

Ekkehard II (Palatinus, the Courtier); date of birth unknown; d. Mainz, April 23, 990. He was the nephew and pupil of Ekkehard I. He taught in the monastic school of Sankt Gallen and, later, was Latin tutor to the Duchess Hadwig of Swabia, widow of Burchard II. His influential position with the duchess enabled him to render great services to his monastery. He was also prominent at the court of Emperor otto i and became provost of the cathedral of Mainz. He was the author of several sequences, including one in honor of St. Desiderius.

Ekkehard IV, teacher, chronicler; b. Alsace, c. 980;d. Oct. 21, c. 1060. He studied under notker labeo at Sankt Gallen and on Labeo's death became the director of the cathedral school at Mainz. He remained there until 1031 and gained favor with the Emperor conrad ii. He then returned to his monastery, resumed teaching, and continued the ancient chronicle of Sankt Gallen, the Casus s. Galli, which had been begun by Ratpert and taken as far as Abbot Salamon (883). Ekkehard brought it down to Notker (972). This famous work is an important source for contemporary events and culture, as well as for the history of Sankt Gallen, but is somewhat tendentious and is full of inaccuracies. Ekkehard's other important literary work is the Liber benedictionum, a collection of metrical inscriptions for the walls of the Mainz cathedral, blessings in verse and poems. Of no great literary merit, it nevertheless attests to much learning in monastic studies. Ekkehard also excelled in ecclesiastical music.

Bibliography: m. manitius, Geschichte der lateinischen Literatur des Mittelalters 1:609–614. w. stammler and k. langosch, eds., Die deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters: Verfasserlexikon 1:527–541; 5:183–185. f. brunhÖlzl and h. f. haefele, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche ² 3:780–781.

[f. courtney]