Saint Waltrude (french: Waudru; nl, Waldetrudis; german: Waltraud; la, Valdetrudis, Valtrudis, Waltrudis; died April 9, 688 AD) is the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of Mons,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, where she is known in French as Sainte Waudru, and of

Herentals Herentals () is a city in the province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Herentals proper and the towns of Morkhoven and . In 2021, Herentals had a total population of 28.194. The total area is . Saint Waltrude is the patron saint ...

, where she is known in Dutch as Sint-Waldetrudis or -Waltrudis. Both cities boast a large medieval church that bears her name.

Life

Waltrude was born in Cousolre in northern France, to a wealthy and influential noble family. According to

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer. Biography Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died when ...

, she was a sister to

Aldegonde Aldegund ( 639–684), also Aldegundis or Aldegonde, was a Frankish Benedictine abbess who is honored as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in France and Orthodox Church. Aldegund was closely related to the Merovingian royal family. Her pare ...

, foundress of Maubeuge Abbey. Waltrude married

Vincent Madelgarius Vincent Madelgarius, aka ''Maelceadar'', Benedictine monk, died 677. His feast day is September 20. Belgian accounts Belgian sources state that Vincent Madelgarus was born in Strépy, Belgium, sometime in the late 6th or early 7th century; died ...

, the Count of Hainault. According to scholar John O'Hanlon, Madelgarius (or Maelceadar) was originally from Ireland. They had four children: * Aldetrude, abbess of Maubeuge Abbey * Landry of Paris, Bishop of Paris *

Madelberte of Maubeuge Saint Madelberte of Maubeuge (or Machtelberthe; died c. 705) was a 7th-century nun related to the Merovingian dynasty. She became abbess of Maubeuge Abbey in the County of Hainaut, now in northern France near the Belgian border. She died in 705 or ...

, succeeded Aldetrude as abbess of Mauberge * Dentelin After her husband retired to an

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The con ...

, she herself became a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

in 656. She founded her own

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

(Sainte-Waudru) and the city of Mons grew around it. Her biography celebrates her for "the pious intention under vow to free captives. She arranged the ransom price 'pretium'' weighed out the silver. ... When the captives had been bought back with the ransom money out of her own purse, at her command they returned to their families and homes." The shrine of Saint Waltrude is kept in the

Saint Waltrude Collegiate Church Saint Waltrude Collegiate Church is a Catholic parish church in Belgium, named in honour of Saint Waltrude of Mons. The church is a notable example of Gothic architecture, and is protected by the heritage register of Wallonia. History The histo ...

in Mons. Each year, as part of the Ducasse de Mons festival, the shrine is placed on the ''car d'or'', a gilded cart, and drawn by horses through the city streets. "Both her parents (Walbert and Bertille) and her sister ( Aldegund) were canonized. Her four children were also declared saints (Landericus, Dentelin, Aldetrude, and Madelberte) and so was her husband (

Madelgaire Vincent Madelgarius, aka ''Maelceadar'', Benedictine monk, died 677. His feast day is September 20. Belgian accounts Belgian sources state that Vincent Madelgarus was born in Strépy, Belgium, sometime in the late 6th or early 7th century; died ...

)."St. Waldetrudis
at ''Catholic.org''

References

7th-century births 688 deaths 7th-century Frankish saints Female saints of medieval Belgium Colombanian saints 7th-century Frankish nuns {{saint-stub