Saint Thelchildis (d. 660), was

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

Jouarre Abbey Jouarre Abbey (''Abbaye Notre-Dame de Jouarre'') is a Benedictine abbey in Jouarre in the département of Seine-et-Marne. History This Merovingian foundation was established around 630, by Adon, son of Saint Authaire (Audecharius), inspired ...

. Thelchildis was the daughter of a

Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks. Neustria included the land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, approximately the north of present-day France, with Paris, Orléans, Tours, Soissons as its main cities. It later ...

n noble named Betto. She was a first cousin of

Audoin Alduin (Langobardic: ''Aldwin'' or ''Hildwin'', ; also called Auduin or Audoin) was king of the Lombards from 547 to 560. Life Audoin was of the Gausi, a prominent Lombard ruling clan, and according to the ''Historia Langobardorum'', the son ...

, Bishop of Rouen.

Agilbert Agilbert ( 650–680) was the second bishop of the West Saxon kingdom and later Bishop of Paris. He is venerated as a saint within the Catholic Church, with his feast day falling on 11 October. The date and place of Agilbert's birth are unknown ...

, Bishop of Paris, was her brother. She seems to have been educated or first professed at the abbey of

Faremoutiers Faremoutiers () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. History Originally named ''Evoriacum'', Faremoutiers was renamed in honour of Saint Fara, who founded the Abbey of Faremoutiers ...

. She was mentor to Aetheria, first Abbess of Notre-Dame of Soissons (658), and of

Berthild of Chelles Saint Berthild, also known as Bertille or Bertilla (died 692), was abbess of Chelles Abbey in France. Life Berthild was born into one of the most illustrious families in the territory of Soissons, France, during the reign of Dagobert I.In his semi ...

. When Saint

Bathildis Balthild (; ang, Bealdhild, 'bold sword' or 'bold spear; around 626 – 30 January 680), also spelled Bathilda, Bauthieult or Baudour, was queen consort of Neustria and Burgundy by marriage to Clovis II, the King of Neustria and Burgundy (639� ...

, the wife of

Clovis II Clovis II (633 – 657) was King of Neustria and Burgundy, having succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639. His brother Sigebert III had been King of Austrasia since 634. He was initially under the regency of his mother Nanthild until her deat ...

, founded the

Abbey of Chelles Chelles Abbey (french: Abbaye Notre-Dame-des-Chelles) was a Frankish monastery founded around 657/660 during the early medieval period. It was intended initially as a monastery for women; then its reputation for great learning grew, and with the a ...

, she asked Saint Thelchildis to oversee the foundation, and to pick "the most experienced and virtuous nuns of Jouarre" to join her. She appointed Berthilde as first abbess, about 646. She remained Abbess at Jouarre until her death in 660. Her fine sculpted sarcophagus can be seen there in the crypts, as can that of her brother.Stokes, Margaret. ''Christian Inscriptions in the Irish Language'', Volume 2, Printed at the University Press, for the Royal historical and archaeological association of Ireland, 1878, p. 140
/ref> Her successor, Agilberta, the second abbess of Jouarre was a kinswoman.

References

{{authority control Frankish abbesses Year of birth unknown 7th-century Frankish saints 7th-century Frankish nuns 7th-century Christian nuns 660 deaths