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Irmina of Oeren (also called Ermina and Hirmina; d. 720) was a saint, founder and abbess of a convent in Oeren (now Alveringem in West Belgium), and co-founder of a convent in Echternach (now eastern Luxembourg).<ref></ref> Hagiographer Basil Watkins states that Irmina's 12th century biography is "unreliable"<ref></ref> and it is likely that "legends about her family tree spiralled out of control", but she came from one of the most powerful families in the Merovingian kingdom. She might have been Saint Primina, the daughter of Dagobert I and sister of Saint Modesta. She might have been the daughter of Dagobert II and sister of Saint Adela of Pfalze.<ref></ref> Historian Ian Wood stated that Irmina is "traditionally, and probably correctly, identified as Plectrude's mother".<ref></ref>
According to many versions of Irmina's biography, when she was fifteen years old,<ref></ref> she was engaged to marry a man named Count Hermann, but just before they were to marry, he was killed in a murder-suicide by one of his servants, who "admired Irmina and could not bear that his master should have her".<ref></ref> Irmina's father was ready to marry her to another man, but she chose to become a nun instead, a decision he supported, building her a convent in Oeren, which was eventually named after her and where she later became its second abbess. She was succeeded as abbess by her sister, Saint Modesta. Irmina donated lands to help co-found, with Saint Willibrord of Northumberland, the convent in Echternacht in 697 or 698.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> Historian Jamie Kreiner called the founding of the Echternacht convent "a cooperative venture"<ref></ref> between Willibrord and Irmina's family, who later promised to protect the convent and its holdings after Willibrord promised fidelity to them in 706.<ref></ref> Watkins reported that Irmina was "generous to both Celtic and Saxon missionary monks".<ref></ref> Irmina died in 720 at the monastery at Weissenburg, which was also founded by her father.<ref></ref><ref></ref>
Irmina's feast day is December 24. She is the patron saint of Trevos and is represented with a church in her hand, signifying her status as a church founder, and with two angels above her head, carrying her soul to heaven.<ref></ref>
