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Osgyth was a Mercian noblewoman and prioress, venerated as an English saint since the 8th century, from soon after her death. She is primarily commemorated in the village of St Osyth, in Essex, near Colchester. Alternative spellings of her name include Sythe, Othith and Ositha. Born of a noble family, she became a nun and founded a priory near Chich which was later named after her.
Jutta of Kulmsee, was born in Sangerhausen, Germany, southwest of Eiseleben, to the noble family of Sangerhausen, who were related to the dukes of Brunswick. She is the patron saint of Prussia and was a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis. She was called "the first Prussian anchoress". There are few records of Jutta's life because anchoritic life was unusual outside of southwest Germany, although her biography appears in the Acta Sanctorum. According to scholar Michelle Sauer, Jutta's life "bore surprising resemblance" to Saint Dorothea of Montau, another Prussian anchoress who lived during the 13th century. Jutta is represented in a grey habit with long sleeves, with a black strap or chord tied around her waist and neck, and is often depicted alongside Dorothea of Montau. As Sauer put it, "Jutta claimed only three things could result in a close personal relationship with God: painful sickness, exile from home, and voluntary poverty". Her feast day is May 5.
Euphrosyne of Alexandria, also called Euphrosynē, was a saint who disguised herself as a male to enter a monastery and live, for 38 years, as an ascetic. Her feast day is celebrated on September 25 by the Greek Orthodox Church, Episcopal Church, as well as Byzantine Rite Catholics, and January 16 by the Roman Catholic Church. Euphrosyne was born to a wealthy family in Alexandria; her father Paphnutius was a devout Christian and her mother died when Euphrosyne was twelve. When she was 18, her father wanted her to marry, so she escaped, disguised as a man, and entered the same monastery he often visited for spiritual counsel. She spent most of her years as a monk in seclusion because her beauty tempted the other monks. During the final year of her life, Euphrosyne became her father's spiritual director, comforting his grief over losing his only daughter. Eventually, she revealed her identity to him and they reconciled. After she died, he entered her monastery and became an ascetic himself, living in her cell until he died ten years later.
Saint Bertha of Artois or Saint Bertha of Blangy was a Frankish and Anglo-Saxon Abbess of noble blood.
Landrada of Austrasia was a German saint and ascetic. She co-founded Munsterbilsen Abbey, which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Landrada's feast day is 8 July. She is the patron saint of Munsterbilsen and Ghent.
Godeberta was a saint and abbess. She was born of "pious parents" in Amiens, France, north of Paris. Her parents were nobles attached to the king's court, so she was carefully educated. When Godeberta was old enough, her father took her to the king's court to obtain permission to "marry her to someone of suitable rank and fortune". Saint Eligius, who was present at court, was able to see that she wanted to "dedicate her virginity to God", and took off his episcopal ring and placed it on her finger in the presence of the king, pronouncing her a nun. Godeberta refused offers of marriage by her noble suitors, and the king, impressed with her zeal and conduct, endowed Godeberta with a small palace in nearby Noyon, north of France, with a chapel dedicated to Saint George. She turned her home into a monastery, where she was abbess for 12 young women. She chose Eligius as her spiritual guide.
Glodesind (572−608) was a saint, nun, abbess, and founder of a convent in Metz, France, during the time of King Childebert II (575−596) of Austrasia. She was a member of the Carolingian nobility. When she was 11 or 12 years old, she married a young nobleman, who was arrested by the French government shortly after their wedding and executed a year later. Instead of remarrying as her family wanted, she fled to Metz and took refuge at the Church of St. Stephen. Her family gave up forcing her to marry, and she became a nun and later, the abbess of a convent that was built by her parents. She was abbess for six years until her death in 608 at the age of 30. Her feast day is 8 July.
Émilie de Rodat, born Marie Guillemette (Wilhelmina) Emilie de Rodat, also known as Emily de Rodat, was a nun, virgin, mystic, and the founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Villefranche. She was born to a noble family near Rodez, in southern France. When she was 18 months old, she was sent to live with her maternal grandmother in Villefranche, to protect her from the oppression of Christians during the French Revolution. When she was 16, she had a spiritual experience, and at the age of 18, she became a teacher. In 1815, she started a school for poor girls in Villefranche, which became the Sisters of the Holy Family of Villefranche. Despite Rodat's spiritual and physical difficulties, the community expanded, eventually founding 38 houses, 25 cloistered communities, and 32 schools with over 5,000 students; they also visited prisoners and cared for abandoned infants in China. By 1999, there were 520 Sisters of the Holy Family of Villefranche worldwide.
Belina was a Roman Catholic virgin martyr. Her birth date is unknown, but she was born to pious parents who were serfs of John Paterne, Lord of Pradines and of D'Arcy. She was killed at Landreville, in Champagne near Troyes in northeastern France, this is why she is called both Belina of Troyes and Belina of Landreville.
Saint Ciera of Ireland was an abbess in the 7th century who died in 679. Her history is probably commingled with another Cera who lived in the 6th century. However, some authors maintain that monastic mistakes account for references to Cera in the 6th century or that a single Cera had an exceptionally long life span.
Adalsinda or Adalsindis of Hamay and Eusebia of Douai, were 7th-century Columban nuns, who were sisters from a prominent Merovingian family; Eusebia became an Abbess. They are venerated as saints in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Their parents were Richtrudis, a Gascoigne-Basque heiress, and Adalbard I of Ostrevent, a Frankish duke of Douai. Both mother and father are also recognised as saints, as are another sister, Clotsinda, and a brother, Maurontius. They are especially venerated in Northern France and Flanders.
Saint Noyale, also known as Noaluen, was a semi-legendary 5th-century Celtic saint and virgin martyr. She is a popular saint in both Brittany and Cornwall, where she is memorialized at Newlyn East. According to legend, it is there that a fig tree growing from the south wall of the church grew from Noyale's staff. A holy well nearby was the site of her martyrdom. She was one of numerous Celtic settlers who travelled to Brittany during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England.
Saint Avoye of Sicily, also known as Saint Auré or Saint Ewe, was a Christian martyr from the 3rd century, who was originally from Sicily, Italy. She died in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France around 234, according to tradition. She is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Apollinaris Syncletica was a saint and hermit of the 5th century, venerated in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Her story is most likely apocryphal and "turns on the familiar theme of a girl putting on male attire and living for many years undiscovered".
Apronia of Toul, also called Evronie of Troyes, was a nun and saint of the 6th century. She was born at Tranquille, a village in Trier, Germany. Her brother was Saint Aprus of Toul, a bishop in Toul in northeastern France, from whom she received the veil. Hagiographer Sabine Baring-Gould said of Apronia: "Drawn by her love of Christ to a religious life, she led on earth a virginal and angelic life, in imitation of her brother, a man of the highest sanctity. During her life she loved innocence, purity, and holiness, which she preserved till her death". She died in a convent at Troyes, about 140 km (87 mi) southeast of Paris, year unknown, on July 15, and was enshrined at Toul by the bishop Saint Gerard in 992. She is the patron saint of women in labor and other dangers.
Saint Asella, also known as Osella and Ocella, was a Roman virgin and hermit who was a disciple and friend of Saint Jerome, who spoke of her in his writings. She was a member of a noble and wealthy Roman Christian family, perhaps the sister of Marcella, another ascetic and saint. When Asella was ten years old, she heard St. Athanasius speak during his third and final visit to Rome, and that, already being a "pious child", inspired her to "dedicate her life to the service of Christ". At first, her parents would not allow her to wear the garments usually worn by ascetics, but she secretly sold a gold necklace, paid for the garment's production, and when she was 12, surprised her parents by appearing to them in "this garb of consecration".
Cinnia, or Cynnia, was an Irish saint who lived during the 5th century. She was a princess of Ulster, the only daughter of Echu, a king in Ireland.
Saint Ninnoc or Ninnog of Breton, also known as Nenooc, Nennoca, Nennocha, Ninnoc, Ninnocha, and Gwengustle, was an early medieval abbess who was reputedly born in Wales and died in Brittany. The text of Vita Sanctae Ninnocae is preserved in the Cartulary of Quimperlé, and it provides knowledge of her life and works.
Hunegund of France was a 7th-century French saint and nun and founder of a convent in Homblières in Northern France. She was betrothed to a French nobleman, but while visiting Rome before their marriage, she chose to become a nun instead. Hunegund built a church on the grounds of a convent in Homblières; eventually her fiancé donated everything that he would have given to her if they had married to the convent, "became her most devoted friend and servant", and took care of her and the convent's financial needs. Hunegund became abbess of the convent and was considered its founder. She died in 690; her feast day is celebrated on 25 August by the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Church and on 1 November by the Catholic Church in France. Hunegund's body and relics were translated to the church she founded in 946; she performed miracles and appeared in visions that solidified her cult and veneration. In the mid- and late 10th century, two hagiographic texts about the life and miracles of Hunegund were written and published to connect the community to Hunegund's relics and cult. Her body and relics were translated again, during the Hundred Years War in the late 14th century.
Saint Thillo was a Saxon slave who was converted by Saint Eligius and became a priest at Solignac Abbey. He accompanied Eloi in missionary work, returned to Solignac, and was made abbot. Unable to handle the responsibility, he left the abbey and became a hermit. His feast day is 7 January.
