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, King of the

Ripuarian Franks The Rhineland or Ripuarian Franks, also often referred to using the Latin plurals ''Ribuarii'', or ''Ripuarii'', were the Franks who established themselves in and around the formerly Roman city of Cologne, on the Rhine river in what is now Germa ...

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 that ...

, 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 Flodoard of Reims (; 893/4 – 28 March 966) was a Frankish chronicler and priest of the cathedral church of Reims in the West Frankish kingdom during the decades following the dissolution of the Carolingian Empire. His historical writings are ...

, in his ''Historia ecclesiæ Remensis'' says she was a niece of

Balderic, Abbot of Montfaucon Saint Balderic (or Baudry) was the founding abbot of Montfaucon. Balderic and his sister Beuve (or Bove or Bova) lived in the 7th century in France. They were reputed to be children of Sigebert I, king of Austrasia, based on oral tradition rec ...

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 indica ...

, 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 ( 535 – 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 civil ...

(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. 508 or 509) was a king of the Ripuarian Franks in the area of Zülpich () and Cologne. History His father's name was "Childebert". He was presumably wounded in the knee at the Bat ...

(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 Sige ...

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

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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.

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). {{authority control Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown 6th-century Frankish women Burials at the Royal Abbey of Saint-Remi 6th-century Frankish saints 6th-century Christian nuns