Gertrude van der Oosten (or Gertrude of Delft; died 6 January 1358) was a Dutch

Beguine The Beguines () and the Beghards () were Christian lay religious orders that were active in Western Europe, particularly in the Low Countries, in the 13th–16th centuries. Their members lived in semi-monastic communities but did not take forma ...

who was considered a mystic and had received the

Stigmata Stigmata ( grc, στίγματα, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ: the hands, wrists, and feet. Sti ...

Life

Gertrude was born in Voorburcht in the

County of Holland The County of Holland was a State of the Holy Roman Empire and from 1433 part of the Burgundian Netherlands, from 1482 part of the Habsburg Netherlands and from 1581 onward the leading province of the Dutch Republic, of which it remained a par ...

, to peasant parents, and entered

domestic service A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

at Delft. Her surname of ''van Ooten'', or "of the East", came from her custom of singing a hymn which began: ''Het daghet in den Oosten'', i.e., "Daylight breaks in the East", which she is thought to have composed herself. After living a pious life for many years, Gertrude obtained admission into the beguinage in Delft. Here, though not a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

, or bound by religious vows, she profited by the ample opportunities for

contemplation In a religious context, the practice of contemplation seeks a direct awareness of the divine which transcends the intellect, often in accordance with prayer or meditation. Etymology The word ''contemplation'' is derived from the Latin word ' ...

afforded by life in this community. She had great devotion to the mysteries of the

Incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...

, especially to the Passion of Christ. She is believed to have received the

. She begged God that this grace might be withdrawn, and her prayer was granted to the degree that the blood ceased to flow, but the marks of the Stigmata remained. At the same time she displayed the gift of

prophecy In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a '' prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or pr ...

. Gertrude died in Delft on the feast day of the Epiphany and was buried in the Church of St. Hippolytus in Delft, as that beguinage did not have its own church or cemetery. Her name has never been inscribed in the ''

Roman Martyrology The ''Roman Martyrology'' ( la, Martyrologium Romanum) is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved ...

'', though she is commemorated in various others, and her ''cultus'' is a purely local one.

References

;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oosten, Gertrude Van Der 1358 deaths People from Delft Beguines and Beghards Roman Catholic mystics Flemish Christian mystics Stigmatics 14th-century venerated Christians Year of birth unknown