On the occasion of the 1300th anniversary of St. Ottilia's death (born around 660, died 12/13/720), the Museum presented selected representations of the saint from St. Ottilien Archabbey. The exhibition included large and small statues from different epochs connected to varying attributes of the saint.
The legend of St Ottilia is mainly based on a biography of the 10th century.
Duke Eticho’s daughter was born blind, therefore her father ordered to have her killed. Her mother Berswinde saved Ottilia by sending her to Palma monastery. On her baptism by bishop Erhard of Regensburg the twelve year old gained eyesight.
Later her brother sent for her to come home but her father was so enraged about this that he killed his son. Ottilia brought her brother back to life but had to flee once again from her father. She escaped the persecution by hiding in a suddenly appearing crevice. Many years later, the reconciliation between Ottilia and her seriously ill father succeeded. In 690, he gave her a piece of land on the Odilienberg (Ottilia’s mountain) in Alsace where she founded a nunnery and became its first abbess. There she cared for her parents until they died. St. Ottilia died at Niedermünster abbey at the foot of the Odilienberg, which she had also founded. The chalice from which she drank shortly before her death was shown to pilgrims as late as 1546. Her grave is at the Odilienberg, today still one of the most important pilgrimage sites in France. Water of the spring there is estimated for being helpful when suffering from eye diseases.
Since St. Ottilia is said to have gained eyesight on her baptism she is mostly pictured with a pair of eyes on top of a book, probably the Bible. The rooster attribute refers to the crowing of a rooster in the morning before the sun (= Christ) rises and so announces Christ as the light.
Large statue of St. Ottilia

Baroque statue of St. Ottilia

Late Gothic statue of St. Ottilia

The color of the dress points rather to a St. Elisabeth or St. Mechthild. Hands and the eyes on top of the book are the result of a later adaptation to St. Ottilia.
Wood, painted, around 1500.
From the collection of Monsignor Heinrich Winterholler (1931-1997), donated in the 1990ies to Bishop Viktor Josef Dammertz OSB (1929 – 2020).
Statue of St. Ottilia with rooster

Ottilia booklet

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