Herlindis of Maaseik
Encyclopedia
Maaseik
Maaseik is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. The city is located on the river Meuse , bordering the Netherlands. The Maaseik municipality includes the town of Maaseik and the villages of Neeroeteren and Opoeteren...
- 745 or 753, Aldeneik
Aldeneik
Aldeneik, founded in 730, is a suburb of the Belgian town of Maaseik. It lies on the banks of the Meuse River, close to the border with the Netherlands, close to where the Bosbeek runs off it. According to legend it sprung up around a monastery set up by the Frankish sisters Herlindis and Relindis,...
, near Maaseik), sister of Saint Relindis
Relindis of Maaseik
Saint Relindis , sister of Saint Herlindis, was the daughter of count Adelard who built a Benedictine monastery at Maaseik for his daughters. Herlindis was abbess of the abbey until her death, after which Relindis was named to succeed her by Saint Boniface.Her feast day is 6 February.-External...
, was a Frankish saint and abbess.
Herlindis and Relindis were the daughters of the Frankish nobleman Adelard, who had his daughters brought up at the Benedictine monastery in Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
. In 730 Herlindis's parents set up a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
at Aldeneik
Aldeneik
Aldeneik, founded in 730, is a suburb of the Belgian town of Maaseik. It lies on the banks of the Meuse River, close to the border with the Netherlands, close to where the Bosbeek runs off it. According to legend it sprung up around a monastery set up by the Frankish sisters Herlindis and Relindis,...
for his daughters. Herlindis was consecrated as its first abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
by Willibrord
Willibrord
__notoc__Willibrord was a Northumbrian missionary saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands...
, and held the role until her death, after which Relindis was named to succeed her by Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface , the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid, Wynfrith, or Wynfryth in the kingdom of Wessex, probably at Crediton , was a missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. He is the patron saint of Germany and the first archbishop of Mainz...
.
The two sisters are usually portrayed together, sometimes also with a few nuns, holding either an abbess's staff or a model of the monastery. Her feast day
Calendar of saints
The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the feast day of said saint...
is 12 October, or on 13 February in Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
(on the same day as Relindis).
External links
- Herlindis at Patron Saints Index
- 12 October saints at St. Patrick's ChurchSt. Patrick's ChurchSt. Patrick's Church, or Saint Patrick Church, St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic Church or other variations on the name, may refer to:-Canada:* St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church...