Saint Berthild, also known as Bertille or Bertilla (died 692), was

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

Chelles Abbey Chelles Abbey () was a Frankish monastery founded around 657/660 during the early medieval period. It was intended initially as a monastery for women; then its reputation for great learning grew, and when men wanted to follow the monastic life, a ...

in France.

Life

Berthild was born into one of the most illustrious families in the territory of

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, during the reign of

Dagobert I Dagobert I (; 603/605 – 19 January 639) was King of the Franks. He ruled Austrasia (623–634) and Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dynasty to wield real royal power, after which the ...

.In his seminal work, ''The Lives of Saints'',

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiography, hagiographer. Born in Northamptonshire, he studied at the English College, in Douai, Douay, France where he later taught philosophy and theology. He s ...

describes the life of St. Bertille based upon a biography written shortly after her death in

Mabillon Dom Jean Mabillon , (; 23 November 1632 – 27 December 1707) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar of the Congregation of Saint Maur. He is considered the founder of the disciplines of palaeography and diplomatics. Early life Mabillon w ...

, ''Act. Ben.'' t. 3. p. 21; Du Plessis, ''Hist. de Meaux'', l. 1, n. 47, 48, 50. She entered the nunnery of Jouarre in

Brie Brie ( ; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie (itself from Gaulish ''briga'', "hill, height"), the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in colour with a slight gre ...

, not far from

Meaux Meaux () is a Communes of France, commune on the river Marne (river), Marne in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, Franc ...

, founded in 630 by Ado, the elder brother of

Saint Ouen Audoin (; AD 609 – on 24 August 684), venerated as Saint Audoin, was a Frankish bishop, courtier, hagiographer and saint. He authored ''Vita Sancti Eligii'' which outlines the life and deeds of Eligius, his close friend and companion in the ro ...

, who had taken the monastic habit there. Berthild was educated by Saint Thelchildis, the first abbess of Jouarre, who governed that abbey until 660. When Saint Bathildis, the wife of

Clovis II Clovis II (633 – 657) was King of the Franks in Neustria and Burgundy, having succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639. His brother Sigebert III had been King of Austrasia since 634. He was initially under the regency of his mother Nanth ...

, founded the abbey of Chelles, which Saint Clotildis had first instituted near the Marne, she asked Saint Thelchildis to set up a new community there with the most experienced and virtuous nuns of Jouarre to direct the novices in the monastic order. Berthild was appointed first abbess of Chelles Abbey in 646. Berthild was known for her devotion to self-denial. She "was ambitious of

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

dom, but as no persecutors were forthcoming, she martyred herself with austerities." Saint Berthild's reputation drew several foreign princesses to the abbey. Among them was Queen Bathildis. After the death of her husband in 655, she was left regent of the kingdom during the minority of her son

Clotaire III Chlothar III (also spelled ''Chlotar'', ''Clothar'', ''Clotaire'', ''Chlotochar'', or ''Hlothar''; 652–673) was King of the Franks, ruling in Neustria and Burgundy from 657 to his death. He also briefly ruled Austrasia. He was the eldest son of ...

, but as soon as he was of age to govern in 665, she retired to Chelles Abbey. Saint Berthild died in 692 after governing the nunnery for forty-six years.

Notes and references

Bibliography

* {{authority control 692 deaths Frankish abbesses Year of birth unknown 7th-century Frankish saints Colombanian saints 7th-century Frankish nuns 7th-century Christian nuns