Diemoth
Diemoth (Latinised as Diemudus, Diemut, Diemud, Diemuth, Diemod or Diemudis) was a recluse at Wessobrunn Abbey in Upper Bavaria, Germany, born around 1060 and died on 30 March, probably in 1130. She worked on 45 manuscripts from 1075 to 1130.[1] Her name comes from the Middle High German word for "humility" or "modesty")
Little is known about Diemoth's private life. Most of the available information is based on a sixteenth-century biographer. Much of this must be considered embellished legend rather than fact. According to the traditional version, she was born of a noble Bavarian or Swabian family, and while still a child entered the Benedictine nunnery connected with the Benedictine monastery of Wessobrunn. This is almost certainly not true, since the Wessobrunn monastery was male-only until at least CE 1100. The monks would not have taken it upon themselves to educate one single young girl. Thus it is much more likely that Diemoth entered the Wessobrunn monastery as an adult. Her proficient handwriting shows evidence of professional training, so that it is likely Diemoth did not come to Wessobrunn until after an active career as a professional scribe. Her knowledge of Latin indicates that she was educated at an ecclesiastical institute, probably a double monastery elsewhere in Germany.[2]
Diemoth had herself enclosed in a cell adjoining the church, where she spent the remainder of her life in prayer and in transcribing valuable books. On account of her exceptionally beautiful handwriting she was styled "the beautiful scribe". She copied about forty-five volumes,[3] of which the most important are: the Bible; the Moralia and other works of Saint Gregory the Great; seven works of Saint Augustine; four of Saint Jerome; two of Origen; and about fifteen liturgical works.
Diemoth was a great friend of the Blessed Herluka with whom she exchanged numerous letters while the latter was a recluse at the neighbouring monastery of Epfach. The letters were long preserved at the monastery of Bernried where Herluka spent the last years of her life, but they unhappily fell prey to the ravages of the forces of Sweden during the Thirty Years War. A few of Diemoth's manuscripts are still preserved at the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich, where they were taken after the secularisation of Wessobrunn in 1803.
Diemoth was buried in the basilica of Our Lady at Wessobrunn, beside the bodies of Abbot Thiento and his six companions, who suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Hungarians in 955. In 1709 her remains were transferred to the abbey church of St. Peter. She is sometimes referred to as "Blessed," though she has never received public veneration and was never formally beatified.
From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
Diemoth, an old German word for the present "Demuth", the English "humility", was the name of a pious recluse at the monastery of Wessobrunn in Upper Bavaria, b. about 1060 of a noble Bavarian or Swabian family; d. 30 March, probably in 1130. At an early age she entered the Benedictine nunnery which was connected with the Benedictine monastery of Wessobrunn. After a long period of severe probation in the nunnery she obtained permission to live the life of a recluse and, following the custom of many recluses of those times, had herself enclosed in a cell adjoining the church, where she spent the remainder of her life in prayer and in transcribing valuable books. On account of her exceptionally beautiful handwriting she was styled the beautiful scribe. She copied about 45 volumes the titles of which are given by Becker in his Catalogi bibliothecarum antiqui (Bonn 1885), 155-136. The most important are: the Bible, the Moralia and other works of St. Gregory the Great, 7 works of St. Augustine, 4 of St. Jerome, 2 of Origen, and about 15 liturgical works. Diemoth was a great friend of the Blessed Herluka with whom she exchanged numerous letters while the latter was a recluse at the neighboring monastery of Epfach. The letters were long preserved at the monastery of Bernried where Herluka spent the last years of her life, but they unhappily fell a prey to the ravages of the Swedes during the Thirty Years War. A few of Diemoth's manuscripts are still preserved at the Staatsbibliothek in Munich, whither they were transferred after the secularization of Wessobrunn in 1803. Diemoth was buried in the basilica of Our Lady at Wessobrunn, aside of the bodies of Abbot Thiento and his six companions, who suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Hungarians in 955. In 1709 her remains were transferred to the Abbey Church of St. Peter. Some hagiologists style her "Blessed," though she has never received public veneration and was never formally beat
HEFNER, Ueber die Nonne Diemud von Wessobrunn und ihr literarisches Wirken, with a facsimile of her handwriting, in Oberbayerisches Archiv (Munich, 1839), I, 355-373; LEUTNER, Historia Monasterii Wessofontani (Augsburg and Freiburg, 1753), 160-175; STEELE, Anchoresses of the West (London and St Louis, 1903), 165 sq.; BRAUNMULLER in Kirchenlex.
References
- Back to citation Gaze, Delia (1997). Dictionary of Women Artists: Artists, J-Z. New York: Taylor & Francis. p. 8. ISBN 9781884964213.
- Back to citation Beach, Alison I. (2004). Women as Scribes. Book Production and Monastic Reform in Twelfth-Century Bavaria. Cambridge studies in palaeography and codicology, vol. 10. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-79243-1.
- Back to citation The titles are given by Becker in his "Catalogi bibliothecarum antiqui" (Bonn 1885), pp. 155-136.
Bibliography
- Robert Bertol (2006). "Diemut (auch Diemuth, Diemud oder Diemod) von Wessobrunn". In Bautz, Traugott (ed.). Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). Vol. 26. Nordhausen: Bautz. cols. 265–267. ISBN 3-88309-354-8.