RÉÉCRITURE AND THE CULTUS OF SAINT GALLUS, CA. 680–850: A FIDELISSIMIS TESTIBUS INDICATA BY J.-MICHEL REAUX COLVIN AND ALEXANDER O’HARA The figure of Saint Gallus, ostensibly the eponymous founder of Saint- Gallen, was the subject of much hagiographical treatment in the late Mer- ovingian and early Carolingian periods. No fewer than four hagiographical texts were produced by individuals ensconced in communities that commem- orated him. This process, called recently réécriture, permitted authors in iteration to employ the same basic narrative to a variety of ends. The anonymous Vita vetustissima (before 771), Wetti’s Vita Galli (before 824), Wahalfrid’s Vita Galli (833/34), and the anonymous Vita metrica Galli (between 833/34 and 837) each preserved accounts of Gallus’ career and posthumous events attributed to his intercession. Reading in parallel four episodes shared between these four texts allows us to see the various ways authors chose to frame their subject and allows us to imagine the authorial ambition of their composers. This chain of custody for the Gallus materials responded to concerns about institutional integrity, facilities, and ecclesi- ology by occasioning new compositions at key moments, such as moments of investment, license, and donation. It also reveals the generic conventions used by its authors to achieve their authorial ambition. The Vita vetustis- sima treats Gallus as a conventional late antique holy man; Wetti’s text was intended for lectionary purposes; Walahfrid’s text was encyclopedic in nature; and the Vita metrica, an ‘institutional Aeneid,’ advances Gallus as a holy hero suited to secular letters. Principally, Abbot Gozbert (r. 816–37) stewarded this process as an exercise in community-building. Allegedly, the monk Gallus established a hermitage in the Steinach valley in modern-day Switzerland around 612. 1 The prestige of this hermitage later grew, Traditio 79 (2024), 1–38 © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fordham University. doi:10.1017/tdo.2024.5 It is with deep appreciation that we recognize the perceptive and reorienting comments of Traditio’s two anonymous readers. Scott G. Bruce, as well, has been a remarkable steward of this project. We are also privileged to acknowledge the insights of Dr. Cornel Dora, Professor Patrick J. Geary, and Dr. Christopher M. Simon; too, the necessarily harsh eyes of Bridget C. C. Colvin enhanced this paper immeasurably. All translations, unless noted otherwise, were undertaken by us. Any missteps remain ours to own. 1 In this paper, ‘Gallus’ will refer to the historical personage sometimes called Saint Gall; ‘Saint-Gallen’ will refer to the eponymous monastic foundation. The principal texts on which this paper will be based are Vita vetustissima Sancti Galli , ed. Bruno Krusch, MGH, Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum 4 (Hanover and Leipzig, 1902), 251–56; Wetti of Reichenau, Vita Galli, ed. Bruno Krusch, MGH, Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum 4 (Hanover and Leipzig, 1902), 256–80; Walahfrid Strabo, De vita Sancti Galli con- fessoris, ed. Bruno Krusch, MGH, Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum 4 (Hanover and https://doi.org/10.1017/tdo.2024.5 Published online by Cambridge University Press