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
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 ...
, king of
Austrasia
Austrasia was the northeastern kingdom within the core of the Francia, Frankish Empire during the Early Middle Ages, centring on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers. It included the original Frankish-ruled territories within what had ...
,
Monks of Ramsgate. “Balderic”. ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 18 August 2012
/ref> based on oral tradition recorded by 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 ...
, Canon of Reims, three centuries later. They are also said to be related to King Dagobert, presumably Dagobert I
Dagobert I (; 603/605 – 19 January 639) was King of the Franks. He ruled Austrasia (623–634) and Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dynasty to wield real royal power, after which the ...
of Austrasia
Austrasia was the northeastern kingdom within the core of the Francia, Frankish Empire during the Early Middle Ages, centring on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers. It included the original Frankish-ruled territories within what had ...
.
Balderic was ordained as a priest, and later founded the monastery of Montfaucon in the province of Lorraine. In 639 he established a convent "St-Pierre-les-Dames" in Reims
Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...
for his sister Beuve. She was succeeded as abbess there by her and Balderic's niece Dode (or Doda). Balderic was a guide and tutor of Saint Wandregisel or Wandrille, who stayed at Montfaucon after separating from his wife in 628. Balderic died at Reims during a visit to his sister.
His feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...
is 16 October.
References
* Butler, Alban. "Wandregisel", ''Lives of the Saints'', edited by Thurston and Attwater.
* Butler, Alban. ''Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints''. J. Duffy, 1866.
*Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balderic, Abbot Of Montfaucon
7th-century Christian abbots
7th-century Frankish saints
Frankish abbots