No likeness on file
Ava
first known German poet
SaintResearchedGermanyBenedictinesPre-congregation
Born
1060
Died
1127
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Ava, the first woman known to have written in German, was probably a recluse near Melk in Austria who died in 1127. She was the mother of two sons who helped her gather material.
She wrote religious poems on the life of Jesus, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Last Judgment.
The miracles
The Catholic Encyclopedia does not describe how she came to be honoured as a saint.
Why that counted as sanctity
A recluse and religious poet.
Connected on this site
- John the Baptist Saint“Her work on the lives of John the Baptist and Jesus "has been praised as the first German epic".” — Wikipedia
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Ava
- Wikidata Q66299 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Ava (poet) (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.