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Saint Dotto

AD 5 – 502

5th century saint

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About Saint Dotto

Lived AD 5 – 502.

Saint Dotto (died 502) was said to have founded a monastery on one of the Orkney Islands, which bore his name. The island appears on maps from 1629 to be the area of Hoxa - not an island but a peninsula. His feast day is 9 April.

Dubious existence

The tale of Saint Dotto, after whom one of the Orkney Islands was named, with his feast date of 9 April, appears to be based only on David Camerarius's Scottish Menology. Camerarius says he lived after churches and monasteries in Orkney had been dedicated to Saint Brendan , but that he died in 502 AD. The Bollandists are therefore skeptical about his existence. John O'Hanlon notes that Camerarius gives no sources for his information and that there is no island by that name. This has since been proven to be inaccurate as such a location is present on early maps of Orkney, lending to stronger evidence he did exist.

Monks of Ramsgate account

The Monks of Ramsgate wrote in their Book of Saints (1921),

Butler's account

The hagiographer Alban Butler (1710–1773) wrote in his Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints under April 9,

O'Hanlon's account

John O'Hanlon (1821–1905) in his Lives of the Irish saints wrote,

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Important facts

Born
AD 5
Birth century
Died
502, Orkney Islands

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Saint Dotto's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Saint Dotto?

5th century saint

When was Saint Dotto born?

Saint Dotto was born in AD 5.

When did Saint Dotto die?

Saint Dotto died in 502 in Orkney Islands.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Saint Dotto

· Wikidata: Q108127397

· DBpedia: Saint Dotto

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Saint Dotto. https://biography.guide/saint-dotto/

MLA: "Saint Dotto." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/saint-dotto/.

Chicago: "Saint Dotto." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/saint-dotto/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 04:59 UTC