St Gertrude of Nivelles Biography
Gertrude of Nivelles Biography |
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Date of Birth | 628 AD |
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Country of Birth | Belgium of Europe |
Matrimony/Holy Orders | Saints who were Nuns/Sisters |
Profession | Nun |
Place of Work | Belgium |
Date of Death | 17 March 659 AD |
Place of Death | Nivelles, Belgium |
Feast Day | March 17 |
Beatification | Beatified by N/A |
Canonization | Canonized by Pope Clement XII not formally, in 1677 |
Patron Saint of |
cats against fever against insanity against mice against mental illness against the fear of rats against the fear of mice against suriphobia |
St Gertrude of Nivelles Biography
St Gertrude of Nivelles was born in 626 AD at Landen, Belgium. She was the Younger daughter of Saint Pepin of Landen and Saint Ida of Nivelles. She was also the sister of Saint Begga of Ardenne. Gertrude got devoted to her faith from an early age, she turned down a noble marriage to pursue religious life. Following the death of Pepin in 639 AD, and on the advice of Saint Amand of Maastricht, Ida built a double monastery at Nivelles where both she and her daughter retired.
Gertrude became the head of the nuns at about the age of 20. Well known for her hospitality to pilgrims and the aid is given to Irish missionary monks. St Gertrude gave land to Saint Foillan, on which he built the monastery at Fosses, Belgium.
She helped Saint Ultan in his evangelization. In 656 AD, She then had to resign her office in favor of her niece, Saint Wilfetrudis of Nivelles and spent the rest of her days studying Scripture and doing penance. Mystic and visionary. She then died at the significant age of 33, the age of Our Lord at His death.
Gertrude’s Life
The cultus of Saint Gertrude spread widely in the Low Countries, neighboring regions, and England, and folklore attached to her name. As late as 1822 AD, offerings of gold and of silver mice were left at her shrine in Cologne, Germany.
The Mice is a representation of souls in Purgatory, to whom she had a great devotion. She is known as the patron of gardeners because fine weather on her feast day meant it was time to begin spring planting. Her patronage of travelers comes from her, because of her hospitality to pilgrims.
She is invoked as a patroness of those who had recently died, who was popularly supposed to experience a three-day journey to the next world. They used to spend the first night under the care of Gertrude, and the second under Michael the Archangel.
There is a legend who says that one day she sent some of her subjects to a distant country, promising that no misfortune would befall them on the journey. When they were on the ocean, a large sea-monster threatened to capsize their ship but disappeared upon the invocation of Saint Gertrude. In memory of this occurrence travelers during the Middle ages drank the so-called “Sinte Geerts Minne” or “Gertrudenminte” before setting out on their journey.
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