Saint Abra (c. 343 – c. 360) was the daughter of

Hilary of Poitiers Hilary of Poitiers ( la, Hilarius Pictaviensis; ) was Bishop of Poitiers and a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" () and the "Athanasius of the West". His name comes from the Latin word for happy or ...

. Saint Abra herself has been recognized as a saint. She was born before her father converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and was made a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

. At her father's advice, she took the vow of

virginity Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

. During her father's exile from Poitiers, she and her mother remained there. She died shortly after his return in 360, supposedly at the age of seventeen or eighteen. She is remembered for her work among the poor and spreading of

in the area around Poitiers,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Her feast day is celebrated on 12 December in Poitiers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abra Of Poitiers 4th-century births 4th-century deaths 4th-century Roman women 4th-century Christian saints Gallo-Roman saints