Ekkehard I (Latin: Eccehardus; died 14 January 973), called Major or Senex (the Elder), was a monk of the Abbey of Saint Gall. He was of noble birth, of the family in Toggenburg, and was educated in the monastery of St. Gall; after joining the Benedictine Order, he was appointed director of the inner school there. Later, under Abbot Kralo, who trusted him implicitly, he was elected dean of the monastery, and for a while directed all the affairs of the abbey.