Austrebertha (Austreberta, Eustreberta, Austreberta of Pavilly; ) (630–February 10, 704) was a French nun of the Middle Ages, who took the veil very young, and became a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

at the Port Monastery in the

Ponthieu Ponthieu (; ; ) was one of six feudal counties that eventually merged to become part of the Province of Picardy, in northern France.Dunbabin.France in the Making. Ch.4. The Principalities 888-987 Its chief town is Abbeville. History Ponthieu p ...

. She became abbess to the foundation of

Pavilly Pavilly () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A town of farming and light industry situated by the banks of the river Austreberthe in the Pays de Caux, some northwest of Rouen at ...

, where she died at the beginning of the eighth century, at 74. She is venerated as a saint in the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

es. Her feast day is February 10.

Life

The daughter of Saint Framechildis and the

Count Palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...

Badefrid, she was born about 630 in Thérouanne, Pas-de-Calais. She refused to be part of an

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of Marriage, marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures, a professional matchmaki ...

and in around 656 entered the Port-le-Grand Monastery in Ponthieu. She received the veil from Saint Omer before founding another monastery in Marconne in Artois in the house of her parents. She later established a monastery at Pavilly. Although not well known outside of Upper Normandy, Austreberthe was said to have performed miracles during her lifetime. It was said that the water of a spring appeared in a chapel and gave rise to a river that had healing properties for the disabled and lame. There is a chapel in an open field, in Saint-Denis-le-Ferment, in the Eure where a pilgrimage takes place on Whit Monday. Some of her relics are said to have been brought to Canterbury by the Normans. There are two towns in France named ''Sainte-Austreberthe'' for her: one in Pas-de-Calais and another in Seine-Maritime .

Austrebertha and the wolf

A popular legend told of Austrebertha states that Austreberthe and her nuns used to wash the sacristy cloths of the abbey of Jumieges a few leagues distant from Pavilly. A donkey used to carry the linen from one monastery to another. One day, while looking for the donkey, she came across a

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...

. The wolf admitted to killing the donkey and begged for forgiveness. Austrebertha reprimanded the wolf, but forgave him and commanded that he carry the laundry himself, a task that the wolf performed for the rest of its life.Wolves and Early Saints
At the place of the death of the donkey a chapel was erected in the seventh century; then, when it fell into ruin, a simple stone cross replaced it. It, in turn, was later replaced by an oak, in which was placed a statue of the Virgin. This tale is depicted in the stained glass window of the chapel in the village of Sainte-Austreberthe.

Notes

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Austrebertha Frankish abbesses 630 births 704 deaths 8th-century Frankish saints Female saints of medieval France 7th-century Frankish nuns 7th-century Christian nuns 8th-century Frankish nuns 8th-century Christian nuns