Saint Ermelinde (born c. 546 in Lovenjoel, died 594 in Meldert,

Hoegaarden Hoegaarden () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Hoegaarden proper, Meldert and Outgaarden. On January 1, 2006, Hoegaarden had a tota ...

), is a

Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...

Saint of the 6th century.Monks of Ramsgate. “Ermelinda”. ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 1 January 2013
/ref> Her feast day is October 29.

Life

Her parents, Ermeonoldo and Armensinda, were rich chatelains related to the

Pippinids The Pippinids and the Arnulfings were two Frankish aristocratic families from Austrasia during the Merovingian period. They dominated the office of mayor of the palace after 687 and eventually supplanted the Merovingians as kings in 751, founding ...

. They wanted her to marry, but she refused. Ermelinde "...cut off her hair in order to dissuade her parents from pushing her into an unwanted marriage contract". They permitted her to follow her vocation and gave her a little land. She spread her charity to the poor and lived as a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

in a forested area, probably around

Beauvechain Beauvechain (; wa, Bôvètché; nl, Bevekom, ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 6,529 inhabitants. The total area is 38.58 km2, giving a population ...

.Walsh, Michael. ''A New Dictionary of Saints''
Liturgical Press, 2007, p. 182 Attending church at night, she had to resist the seductions of two brothers, the local lords, who being refused planned to abduct her. They agreed to take her during night prayers. Warned by an angel, Ermelinda managed to escape and left for Meldert, where she set up a hermitage and spent the rest of her life in

prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...

." Sant' Ermelinda Vergine nel Brabante", Santi e Beati, June 13, 2001
/ref>

Veneration

She was venerated in

Tirlemont Tienen (; french: Tirlemont ) is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises Tienen itself and the towns of Bost, Goetsenhoven, Hakendover, Kumtich, Oorbeek, Oplinter, Sint-Marg ...

and especially in Lovenjoul and Meldert. In Lovenjoul, there is a spring of water believed to be miraculous for curing the eyes, called the "Spring of St Hermelinda", because it irrigates the land belonging to her relatives. In Meldert, her cult was very popular. The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

church of Meldert is dedicated to Saint Ermelinde and possesses a

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...

containing her

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

. Every fifty years, the relics are presented in devotion to the parishioners. On the Tuesday of

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

, in Meldert, a procession is organised in the honour of Saint Ermelinde."Sant' Ermelinda", Santo del Giorno
/ref> The Confraternity dedicated to her still exists in this town. She is also celebrated in the diocese of Malines on 29 October, the day traditionally considered to be the day of her death. Saint Ermelinde is also venerated in Moergestel, in North Brabant (in the Netherlands). In 2008, in Moergestel, a Saint Ermelinde park was inaugurated. * In the

Liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

, Saint Ermelinde is commemorated on 29 October. She one of the saints at a chapel in Kansas, where she is considered one of the Saints for Thanksgiving. Her novena is observed November 22 through December 1. Novena Prayer: St. Ermelinda, please pray for us. You lived a simple life of prayer. Please guide us to be thankful for the blessings we have during the holiday season. (Mention Your Prayer Intention). Amen

References

{{Authority control 510 births 590 deaths 6th-century Christian saints 6th-century women Christian female saints of the Middle Ages People from Beauvechain People from Bierbeek People from Hoegaarden