BATHILDE, Saint. - Queen of France, wife of Clovis II, she was the mother of Chlothar, Childeric and Theodoric (Thierry). Of Anglo-Saxon stock, abducted on the British coasts and sold as a slave in France by pirates, fate brought her to the court, where Clovis saw her and married her. When her husband died prematurely, B. assumed the government, associating with herself her firstborn, Chlothar. During her rule, the bishop of Paris, Chrodobert, Audoen (Ouen), bishop of Rouen, the abbot Genesius and Leodegarius, archdeacon of Poitiers and later bishop of Autun, had great influence. On the death of Sigebert II, Austrasia was recovered to the kingdom. In numerous religious foundations, B. left a trace of her piety and her munificence. She struggled with all her might against simony, which was corrupting religious life. When Ebroin became mayor of the palace, eager to assume the guardianship of the boy king, B. was forced to retire to the convent of Chelles, around 673. And there she was an example of humility and faith, until her death, which occurred perhaps on January 30, 680.

Her name is found added in various ancient codices of the Martyrologium Hieronymianum under January 30, while the Martyrologium Romanum commemorates her on the 26th of the same month.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: Vita Bathildis, ed. B. Krusch, in MGH. Script. Rerum Merovingic., VII, p. 475 ff.; cf. E. Vacandard, Vie de s. Ouen, évêque de Rouen, Paris 1902, pp. 254-63; Martyr. Romanum, p. 36.

Pier Fausto Palumbo

@incollection{ec2_batilde_santa, author = {Palumbo, Pier Fausto}, title = {Batilde, santa}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {II}, pages = {1000--1001}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/batilde-santa} }

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Bathilde, Saint

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