Dorothea Wyss (c. 1430/32 – after 1487), also known Dorothea von Flüe, married

Niklaus von Flüe Niklaus may refer to: In Swiss geography: * Feldbrunnen-St. Niklaus * St. Niklaus People with the given name or surname Niklaus: * Niklaus (name) See also *Jack Nicklaus * Nicholas (name) Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of ...

, the

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

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Life

Dorothea Wyss was born around 1430/32 in

Obwalden Canton of Obwalden or Obwald ( ; ; ; ) is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of seven municipalities and the seat of the government and parliament is in Sarnen. It is traditio ...

. Although not much is known about her family background, she was most likely born into a relatively well-off family who made a living of farming. At the age of about 15 she married

who was about 15 years older. Niklaus was often away as an adviser, but also as a warlord during the 1450s and 1460s Swiss wars. After twenty years of marriage and 10 children, her husband claimed that ''God calls him''. Dorothea initially rejected her husband's request. ''Kläusli'', the youngest child, was born some months before. Gradually, however, she took part in the vocation of her husband and gave her consent. On 16 October 1467 Niklaus von Flüe left his family as a pilgrim. Directed by visions, he soon returned and settled in the nearby Ranftschlucht, the gorge on the Melchaa, a stone's throw from his family's home. Dorothea now was responsible for the house, the farm and her family. She took care of her husband's family tasks, and the education of the younger children. The two older sons managed the farm. Dorothea occasionally went down to the hermitage of ''Bruder Klaus'' (von Flüe's then popular name) to talk with him about domestic things or the education of the children. She personally convinced herself that her husband has found his inner peace. When her husband died in 1487, she was supposed to be there. She died after 1487 in

Sachseln Sachseln is a village and municipality in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. Besides the village of Sachseln, the municipality includes the hamlets of Edisried, Ewil and Flüeli-Ranft. History Sachseln is first mentioned in 1173 as ''Saxhslen ...

. Dorothea allowed her husband to leave the family and start his life as a hermit, but the contemporary sources provide only rudimentary data. In 1488 she was described in the oldest biography of ''Bruder Klaus'' as a ''godly and extremely pious woman''. Her first name is first mentioned in 1501, and around 1529 her surname in the female form ''Wyssin'' was first mentioned.

Literature

* Werner T. Huber: ''Dorothea: Die Ehefrau des heiligen Nikolaus von Flüe. Auszüge aus dem Quellenmaterial über Bruder Klaus aus dem 15. Jahrhundert bis heute''. Published by Bruder-Klausen-Stiftung in Sachseln, Academic Press, Fribourg 1994, .

References

External links

*
Und Dorothea? Wer war sie?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyss, Dorothea 1430 births 1487 deaths 15th-century Swiss people 15th-century Swiss women People from Obwalden Sachseln