Saint Waltrude (french: Waudru; nl, Waldetrudis; german: Waltraud; la, Valdetrudis, Valtrudis, Waltrudis; died April 9, 688 AD) is the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, where she is known in French as Sainte Waudru, and of

Herentals Herentals () is a city in the province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Herentals proper and the towns of Morkhoven and . In 2021, Herentals had a total population of 28.194. The total area is . Saint Waltrude is the patron saint ...

, where she is known in Dutch as Sint-Waldetrudis or -Waltrudis. Both cities boast a large medieval church that bears her name.

Life

Waltrude was born in

Cousolre Cousolre () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. The nearest major city is Charleroi in Belgium (the village is very close to the Belgian border). It is about southwest of Charleroi and east of Maubeuge. Heraldry See a ...

in northern France, to a wealthy and influential noble family. According to

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer. Biography Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died when ...

, she was a sister to

Aldegonde Aldegund ( 639–684), also Aldegundis or Aldegonde, was a Frankish Benedictine abbess who is honored as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in France and Orthodox Church. Aldegund was closely related to the Merovingian royal family. Her pare ...

, foundress of

Maubeuge Abbey Maubeuge Abbey (french: Abbaye de Maubeuge) was a women's monastery in Maubeuge, in the County of Hainaut, now northern France, close to the modern border with Belgium. It is best known today as the abbey founded by St. Aldegonde, still a popular ...

. Waltrude married

Vincent Madelgarius Vincent Madelgarius, aka ''Maelceadar'', Benedictine monk, died 677. His feast day is September 20. Belgian accounts Belgian sources state that Vincent Madelgarus was born in Strépy, Belgium, sometime in the late 6th or early 7th century; died ...

, the Count of Hainault. According to scholar John O'Hanlon, Madelgarius (or Maelceadar) was originally from Ireland. They had four children: *

Aldetrude Aldetrude (died 696, or 526) was a Christian saint and from 684 was abbess of Maubeuge Abbey in the County of Hainault, now in northern France. She is also known as Aldetrude de Maubeuge, Aldetrude of Maubod, Aldetrudis and Adeltrude. She was on ...

, abbess of Maubeuge Abbey *

Landry of Paris Saint Landry (Landericus) of Paris (died c. 661) was a bishop of Paris and is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Landry built a hospital dedicated to St. Christopher, which later became the Hôtel-Dieu de Paris. His feast day is 10 ...

Bishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Parisiensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Paris'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France ...

Madelberte of Maubeuge Saint Madelberte of Maubeuge (or Machtelberthe; died c. 705) was a 7th-century nun related to the Merovingian dynasty. She became abbess of Maubeuge Abbey in the County of Hainaut, now in northern France near the Belgian border. She died in 705 or ...

, succeeded Aldetrude as abbess of Mauberge * Dentelin After her husband retired to an

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

, she herself became 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 ...

in 656. She founded her own

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

(Sainte-Waudru) and the city of Mons grew around it. Her biography celebrates her for "the pious intention under vow to free captives. She arranged the ransom price 'pretium'' weighed out the silver. ... When the captives had been bought back with the ransom money out of her own purse, at her command they returned to their families and homes." The shrine of Saint Waltrude is kept in the

Saint Waltrude Collegiate Church Saint Waltrude Collegiate Church is a Catholic parish church in Belgium, named in honour of Saint Waltrude of Mons. The church is a notable example of Gothic architecture, and is protected by the heritage register of Wallonia. History The histo ...

in Mons. Each year, as part of the

Ducasse de Mons The Ducasse de Mons, also commonly known as Doudou, is a popular festival that happens every year on Trinity Sunday (57 days after Easter) in the town of Mons in Belgium. The feast comprises two important parts: the procession, including the ...

festival, the shrine is placed on the ''car d'or'', a gilded cart, and drawn by horses through the city streets. "Both her parents (Walbert and Bertille) and her sister ( Aldegund) were canonized. Her four children were also declared saints (Landericus, Dentelin,

, and Madelberte) and so was her husband (

Madelgaire Vincent Madelgarius, aka ''Maelceadar'', Benedictine monk, died 677. His feast day is September 20. Belgian accounts Belgian sources state that Vincent Madelgarus was born in Strépy, Belgium, sometime in the late 6th or early 7th century; died ...

)."St. Waldetrudis
at ''Catholic.org''

References

7th-century births 688 deaths 7th-century Frankish saints Female saints of medieval Belgium Colombanian saints 7th-century Frankish nuns {{saint-stub