Lutgardis
Encyclopedia
Saint Lutgardis (1182 – 16 June 1246) was a Flemish
saint
. Born at Tongeren, she was admitted into a Benedictine
monastery of St. Catherine near Sint-Truiden
at the age of twelve, not for any vocation but because her dowry had been lost in a failed business venture.
She had a religious experience in her late teens and in 1194, at the age of twenty, she became a nun with a true vocation. Accounts of her life state that she experienced ecstasies
, levitated, and dripped blood from her forehead and hair when entranced. She refused the honor of serving as abbess
.
At Aywieres (Awirs), near Liège, she joined the Cistercians, a stricter order, at the advice of her friend Saint Christina the Astonishing. Although Aywières was a French
-speaking community, Lutgardis was determined to speak Dutch
.
She was blind
for the last eleven years of her life, and died of natural causes at Aywieres.
A life of Lutgardis, Vita Lutgardis, was composed less than two years after her death. She was venerated at Aywières for centuries, and her relics were exhumed in the 16th century. On December 4, 1796, as a result of the French Revolution
, her relics were sheltered at Ittre
. Her relics remain in Ittre. Works of art depicting Lutgardis include a masterpiece baroque statue on the Charles Bridge
by Matthias Braun
(1710) in Prague
and a painting by Goya. The statue on Charles Bridge (socha sv. Luitgardy) was sculpted by Matthias Braun
in 1710 as a commission from Evžen Tyttl, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Plasy
.
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
. Born at Tongeren, she was admitted into 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 of St. Catherine near Sint-Truiden
Sint-Truiden
Sint-Truiden is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, near the towns of Hasselt and Tongeren. The municipality includes the old communes of Aalst, Brustem, Duras, Engelmanshoven, Gelinden, Gorsem, Groot-Gelmen, Halmaal, Kerkom-bij-Sint-Truiden,...
at the age of twelve, not for any vocation but because her dowry had been lost in a failed business venture.
She had a religious experience in her late teens and in 1194, at the age of twenty, she became a nun with a true vocation. Accounts of her life state that she experienced ecstasies
Religious ecstasy
Religious ecstasy is an altered state of consciousness characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and expanded interior mental and spiritual awareness which is frequently accompanied by visions and emotional/intuitive euphoria...
, levitated, and dripped blood from her forehead and hair when entranced. She refused the honor of serving as abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
.
At Aywieres (Awirs), near Liège, she joined the Cistercians, a stricter order, at the advice of her friend Saint Christina the Astonishing. Although Aywières was a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
-speaking community, Lutgardis was determined to speak Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
.
She was blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
for the last eleven years of her life, and died of natural causes at Aywieres.
Veneration
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, her relics were sheltered at Ittre
Ittre
Ittre is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1, 2006 Ittre had a total population of 6,064. The total area is 34.92 km² which gives a population density of 174 inhabitants per km²...
. Her relics remain in Ittre. Works of art depicting Lutgardis include a masterpiece baroque statue on the Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge
The Charles Bridge is a famous historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century...
by Matthias Braun
Matthias Braun
Matthias Bernard Braun was a sculptor and carver active in the Czech lands, one of the most prominent late baroque style sculptors in the area....
(1710) in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and a painting by Goya. The statue on Charles Bridge (socha sv. Luitgardy) was sculpted by Matthias Braun
Matthias Braun
Matthias Bernard Braun was a sculptor and carver active in the Czech lands, one of the most prominent late baroque style sculptors in the area....
in 1710 as a commission from Evžen Tyttl, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Plasy
Plasy
Plasy is a small town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Střela River, some to the north from the region capital of Plzeň....
.