Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/383

 OTHMAR

351

OTRANTO

In Fez ("Thesaurus", III, 143-613) are found: "Dia- logus de tribus qusstionibus", treating of the symbol- ism of the number three; " De promissionis bonorum et malorum causis"; "De cursu spirituali"; "De trans- latione s. Dionysii e Francia in Germaniam", a frag- ment ; ' ' De miraculo quod nuper accidit cuidam laico" ; "De admonitione clericorum et laicorum"; "Despirit- uah doctrina", in hexameters; "Liber Proverbio- rum";"Sermo in natah apostolorum " ; " Liber visio- num turn suarum turn aliorum " . His collected works are found in Migne (P. L., CXLVI, 27-434).

EsSER in Kirchenlex., a. v.; Allg. d. Biographic; Wattenbach, Geschichtsquellent\\,G5\ Michael, Gesch. des deuisch. Volkes, III (Freiburg, 1903), 19; Hauck, Kirchmgesch. deulschl, III, 968,

IV, 80, 94. Francis Mershman.

Othmar (Audomar), Saint, d. 16 Nov., 759, on tlie island of Werd in the Rhine, near Eschncz, Swit- zerland. He was of Alemannic descent, received his education in Rhittia, was ordained priest, and for a time presided over a church of St. Florinus in RhoBtia. This church was probably identical with the one of St. Peter at Remiis, where St. Florinus had laboured as a priest and was buried. In 720 Waltram of Thur- gau appointed Othmar superior over the cell of St. Gall. He united into a monastery the monks that hved about the cell of St. Gall, according to the rule of St. Columban, and became their first abbot. He added a hospital and a school ; during his abbacy the Rule of St. Columban was replaced by that of St. Benedict. When Karlmann renounced his throne in 747, he visited Othmar at St. Gall and gave him a let- ter to his brother Pepin, recommending Othmar and his monastery to the king's liberality. Othmar per- sonally brought the letter to Pepin, and was kindly received. When the Counts Warin and Ruodhart un- justly tried to gain possession of some property be- longing to St. Gall, Othmar fearlessly resisted their demands. Hereupon they captured him while he was on a journey to Constance, and held him prisoner, first at the castle of Bodmann, then on the island of Werd in the Rhine. At the latter place he died, after an imprisonment of six months, and was buried. In 769 his body was transferred to the monastery of St. Gall and in 867 he was solemnly entombed in the new church of St. Othmar at St. Gall. His cult began to spread soon after his death, and now he is, next to St. Maurice and St. Gall, the most popular saint in Swit- zerland. His feast is celebrated on 16 November. He is represented in art as a Benedictine abbot, generally holding a little barrel in his hand, an allusion to the alleged miracle, that a barrel of St. Othmar never be- came empty, no matter how much he took from it to give to the poor.

P. L., CXIV, 1029-42; Mon. Germ. Hist.: Script., II, 41-47. To this life was added by Iso of St. Gall: De miracutis S. Othmari, Ubriduo. in P. L.. CXXI, 779-96, and Mon. Germ. Hisl.: Script., II, 47-54; BuROENER, Helvetia Sancla, II (Einsiedeln and New York, 18B0), 147-51.

Michael Ott.

Otho, Marcus Salvius, Roman emperor, succes- sor, after Galba, of Nero, b. in Rome, of an ancient Etruscan family settled at Ferentinum, 28 April, a. d. 32; d. at Bri.xellum on the Po, 15 April, 69. He Jed a profligate life at the court of Nero. As husband of the courtesan Poppaea Sabina he was sent for ap- pearance's sake to Lusitania as governor. When Sulpicius Galba was proclaimed emperor, Otho re- turned to Rome with him. In contrast to the miserly Galba, he sought to win the affection of the troops by generosity. On 15 January, 69, five days after Galba had appointed Lucius Calpurnius Piso co-emperor and successor, twenty-three soldiers proclaimed Otho em- peror upon the open street. As Galba hurried to take measures against this procedure, he and his escort encountered his opponents at the Forum; there was a struggle, and Galba was murdered. Otho was now sole ruler; the senate confirmed his authority. The

statues of Nero were again set up by Otho who also set aside an immense sum of money for the completion of Nero's Golden House (Aurea Domus). Meantime Aulus Vitellius, legate under Galba to southern Ger- many, was proclaimed emperor at Cologne. Alienus Cfficina, who had been punished by Galba for his out- rageous extortion, persuaded the legions of northern Germany to agree to this choice; their example was followed by the troops in Britain. In a short time a third of the stantling army had renounced the emperor at Rome. In the winter of 69 these troops advanced into the plain of the River Po, stimulated by antici- pation of the wealth of Italy and Rome, and strength- ened by the presence of German and Belgian auxilia- ries. On the march they learned that Galba was dead and Otho was his successor. At first Vitellius entered into negotiations with the new ruler at Rome. Com- promise failing, both made ready for the decisive struggle. Otho vainly sought to force the citizens of Rome to take energetic measures for security. To e.xpiate any wrong done he recalled the innocent per- sons who had been banished by Nero's reign, and caused Nero's evil adviser, Sophonius Tigellinus, to be put to death. Finally he placed the republic in the care of the Senate and started for upper Italy on 14 March, with the main part of his guard, that had been collected in Rome, and two legions of soldiers belong- ing to the navy, while seven legions were advancing from Dalmatia, Pannonia, and Mcesia. A fleet near Narbonensis was to check the hostile troops from Gaul, that would advance from the south. After some favourable preliminary skirmishes near Placentia and Cremona Otho gave the command for a pitched battle before a junction had been effected ■with the legions from Moesia. While the emjieror himself remained far from the struggle at Brixellum on the right bank of the Po, his soldiers were defeated in battle near Cremona, and large numbers of them killed (14 April). The next day the remnant of his army was obliged to surrender. On recei\nng news of the defeat, Otho killed himself. His body was burned, as he had di- rected, on the spot where he had so ingloriously ended. Vitellius was recognized as emperor by the Senate.

.Schiller, Geschichte der romischen Kaiserzeit, I (Gotha, 1SS3); VON DoMASZEWSKi, Geschichtc der rdmischen Kaiser, H (Leipzig, 1909).

Kabl Hoeber. O'Toole, Lawrence. See Lawrence O'Toole,

Saint.

Otranto, Archdiocese op (Hydruntina). — Otranto is a city of the Province of Lecce, Apulia, Southern Italy, situated in a fertile region, and once famous for its breed of horses. It was an ancient Greek colony, which, in the wars of Pyrrhus and of Hannibal, was against Rome. As it is the nearest port to the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, it was more important than Brindisi, under the Roman emperors. In the eighth century, it was for some time in the pos- session of Arichis, Duke of Benevento (75S-S7). Hav- ing come again under Byzantine rule, it was among the last cities of Apulia to surrender to Robert Guiscard (1068), and then became part of the Principality of ■Paranto. In the Middle Ages the Jews had a school there. In 1480 there occurred the sack of Otranto by the Turks, in which 12,000 men are said to have perished — among them. Bishop Stephen Pendinelli, who was sawn to death; the "valley of the martyrs" still recalls that dreadful event. On other occa- sions, as in 1537, the Turks landed at Otranto, but they were repulsed. In 1804, the city was obliged to harbour a French garrison that, was established there to watch the movements of the English fleet; and in 1810, Napoleon gave Otranto in fief to Fouche.

The cathedral of Otranto is a work of Count Roger I (10S8), and was adorned later (about 1163), by Bishop jonathas, with a mosaic floor; the same Count Roger also founded a Basilian monastery here, which,