Godeberta

Infobox Saint
name= Saint Godeberta
birth_date=c. 640 AD
death_date=c. 700 AD
feast_day= June 11; April 11: at Noyon fifth Sunday after Easter
venerated_in= Roman Catholic Church


imagesize= 250px
caption= Petrus Christus, "The Legend of Saint Eligius and Saint Godeberta".
birth_place=
death_place=
titles=
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by=
canonized_date=
canonized_place=
canonized_by=
attributes=
patronage= Noyon; invoked against drought, epidemics, plague
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=

Saint Godeberta (Godebertha, Godberta) (c. 640—June 11, c. 700) was a Frankish saint. She was born at Boves, near Amiens, to a noble family that was associated with the court of Clovis II. With the support of Saint Eligius, Godeberta became a nun despite the fact that her parents wanted her to marry. Clovis gave her a small palace at Noyon, which included a chapel dedicated to Saint George. She was joined there by many other young women.

Veneration

Her life –the earliest source we have- was composed around the 11th century, which is believed to have been composed by Radbodus, bishop of Noyon from 1067. A miracle recorded of her states that in 676, when Noyon was suffering a terrible fire, Godeberta made the sign of the cross over the flames, extinguishing them.

The body of the saint was interred in the chapel of St. George, which was afterwards named after her. Her relics were translated in 1168 to the cathedral of Noyon. The relics were protected during the French Revolution.

The cathedral houses a gold ring said to have been given to her by Eligius, the patron saint of goldsmiths. The "Catholic Encyclopedia" states:

When the question of her marriage was being discussed in presence of the king, the saintly Bishop of Noyon, Eligius, as if by inspiration, presented Godeberta with a golden ring and expressed the hope that she might devote her life to the service of God. Godeberta, moved by the Holy Spirit and feeling her heart suddenly filled with Divine love, turned away from the bright prospects before her and refused the advantageous offers that had been made by her noble suitors. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06623a.htm]

External links

* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06623a.htm Godeberta] at the Catholic Encyclopedia
* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintg1r.htm Patron Saints: Godeberta]