Saint Dode (born before 509) was an Abbess of Saint Pierre de Reims and a French Saint whose Feast Day is 24 April. She is reputed to be the daughter of

Chloderic Chlodoric (or Chloderic) the Parricide (died c. 509) was a son of Sigobert the Lame, a Frankish king. According to Gregory of Tours, Chlodoric Parricide, murdered his own father in order to take his kingdom, acting upon the instigation of Clovis I ...

, King of the

Ripuarian Franks Ripuarian or Rhineland Franks (Latin: ''Ripuarii'' or ''Ribuarii'') were one of the two main groupings of early Frankish people, and specifically it was the name eventually applied to the tribes who settled in the old Roman territory of the Ubii, ...

and the sister of

Munderic Munderic (died 532/33) was a Merovingian claimant to the Frankish throne. He was a wealthy nobleman and landowner with vast estates in the region around Vitry-le-Brûle (now Vitry-en-Perthois) near Châlons-sur-Marne. In 532 or 533 or around tha ...

, making her a princess of the Ripuarian Franks.

History

Doda lived in Reims in the 6th century, she was the second abbess of Saint-Pierre-les-Dames in Reims. There is some confusion regarding her parentage. Flodoard, in his ''Historia ecclesiæ Remensis'' says she was a niece of Balderic, Abbot of Montfaucon and

Beuve Saint Beuve (or Bove or Bova) and her brother Balderic (or Baudry) lived in the 7th century in France. According to Christian Settipani, their father was probably Sigobert the Lame, King of Cologne, rather than Sigebert I of Austrasia, as indicate ...

, founders of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre-les-Dames de Reims and children of a king Sigebert. Flodoard identifies this king as

Sigebert I Sigebert I (c. 535 – c. 575) was a Frankish king of Austrasia from the death of his father in 561 to his own death. He was the third surviving son out of four of Clotaire I and Ingund. His reign found him mostly occupied with a successful civ ...

(c. 535 – c. 575), king of Austrasia, when perhaps it is, in fact,

Sigobert the Lame Sigobert the Lame (also ''Sigibert'' or ''Sigebert'') (died c. 509) was a king of the Franks in the area of Zülpich ( la, Tolbiac) and Cologne. His father's name was "Childebert".''He had a son: Siegbert or Sigebert, of whom further. (Ibid.) HI ...

(died c. 509), king of Cologne. Although Doda is reputed to be the daughter of Sigobert's son Chlodoric, chronologically, it seems difficult to make of Doda a daughter of Chlodéric. She would more likely be Sigobert the Lame's granddaughter, the daughter of a younger sister of Chloderic, born some time shortly before their father's death."At that time, it is rare for a king to live long enough to see a granddaughter reach the age of marriage. This second King Sigebert is probably Sigebert I, king of Austrasia from 561 to 575. This places the date of birth of Doda at the earliest in 545, knowing that her mother, if she is the daughter of Sigebert the Lame is born at the latest in 507. It remains chronologically possible." Doda is raised by her aunt, Beuve. Later, she was promised in marriage to a lord of the court of Sigebert I, but Doda refused the marriage. The lord tried to abduct her, but died as a result of a fall from his horse during the attempt. Dode then took refuge in her aunt's abbey. She succeeded Beuve as abbess. At the end of her life, she obtained from

Pepin of Landen Pepin I (also Peppin, Pipin, or Pippin) of Landen (c. 580 – 27 February 640), also called the Elder or the Old, was the Mayor of the palace of Austrasia under the Merovingian King Dagobert I from 623 to 629. He was also the Mayor for Si ...

, an act designed to protect her community. She is venerated in the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

and

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

es.

Flodoard's account

There once existed several basilicas and several monasteries within and around the town of Reims, which now are no more; but there are still two convents in the town, one of which is called the monastery above, because of its location and is said to have been erected in honor of the Blessed Virgin and St. Peter by Saint Baudri and his sister Beuve, who was the abbess. It is said that they were both of royal blood, the children of King Sigebert, and had a niece Dode, a very chaste young girl, who had been promised in marriage to a grandee of the house of King Sigebert. But Bove, her aunt, taught her to serve God and keep her virginity. The courtier, seeing the young girl's resistance, endeavored to rob her and to have her as his wife; but it happened that while he sought by all means to carry out his designs, the horse which he mounted, fell and he broke his neck. Blessed Dode, succeeded her aunt in the government of the monastery; it was she who obtained from King Pepin for this abbey a charter of immunities which we still have. The bodies of these two holy abbesses rested for a long time in the church outside the city where the monastery had first been, until, after having been exhumed with several revelations and miracles, they were transferred to this new church which we see today, where they were deposed with veneration, and are continually honored by the reverence and homage of the virgins servants of the Lord. - Flodoard, ''Historia ecclesiæ Remensis'', Livre quatrième, chapitre XXXVIII.

References

Sources and citations

*Christian Settipani, ''Les ancêtres de Charlemagne'' (France: Éditions Christian, 1989). *Christian Settipani, ''Continuité gentilice et continuité familiale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l'époque imperiale, mythe et réalité'', Addenda I - III (July 2000–October 2002) (Prosopographica et Genealogica, 2002). Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown 6th-century Frankish women Burials at the Royal Abbey of Saint-Remi 6th-century Frankish saints {{France-saint-stub