Oda of Gandersheim (died 912/919) was a Saxon noblewoman who founded Gandersheim Abbey. She was an ancestor of the Ottonian dynasty.
Oda's mother's name was Aeda and her father's probably Billung. [1] She was married to Liudolf of Saxony, with whom she had 12–14 children, including three sons and a daughter who died young. [1] Her children who survived to adulthood include: [1]
Oda and Liudolf "committed themselves to establishing a convent soon after their marriage." [2] For this purpose, they travelled to Rome to acquire relics of the saints in 845–846. [3] From Pope Sergius II they received not just relics of his predecessors, Innocent I and Anastasius I, but also papal protection for their foundation. [2] A community of nuns was established at Brunshausen in 852 with their daughter Hathumoda as its designated abbess. [4] Construction of a permanent home was begun at Gandersheim, but it was not consecrated until All Saints' Day 881, after Hathumoda's death in 874. [2]
Liudolf died in 866. [5] Oda spent much of her widowhood at Gandersheim. [6] Another daughter, Gerberga, succeeded Hathumoda and was succeeded by a third, Christina. [2] Oda died at Gandersheim in 912 [5] or 919. [2]