Donald of Ogilvy

Saint Donald of Ogilvy (also called Donivald or Domhnall) was an eighth-⁠century Scottish saint who lived at Ogilvy, in the former Forfarshire. He is commemorated on 15 July, in both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church, according to our sources.

All that the written sources say of him is that he lived at Ogilvy and that his wife bore him nine daughters. The sources do not all tell his life in the same way. According to the Russian and Greek sources, his wife and daughters wished to give themselves to the monastic life; according to the Greek source, he rejoiced greatly that they would dedicate their lives to Jesus Christ. They began to lead an ascetic life, working the land with their hands, eating very little bread and drinking water once a day. Since their house was large, he decided to turn it into a monastery and became abbot of the community. According to the English source, he turned the house into a hermitage after the death of his wife and lived there a monastic life with his nine daughters, known as the Nine Maidens.

After his death the daughters formed a sisterhood, based on the rules of their family life, and, according to the English and Greek sources, entered a monastery at Abernethy, founded, according to the Russian source, by Saints Darlugdach and Brigid. Their commemoration is on 15 July according to the English source, and on 18 July according to the Russian one. Throughout Scotland churches were dedicated to the Nine Maidens. It is believed that the Scots at first honoured only the daughters and built churches only in their name, but before the year 800 they included their father, Saint Donald.

The name Donald is very popular in Scotland and is preserved in many place names: a spring and some hills, now known as the Nine Maidens. Its spread is tied not only to the veneration of the saint but also to the large number of descendants of the grandson of Somerled, king of the Isles, founder of the clan MacDonald.