Reineldis
Encyclopedia
Reineldis was a saint
of the 7th century, martyr
ed by the Huns
.
or Kontich
). She was the daughter of Duke Witger of Lotharingia
and Saint Amalberga of Maubeuge
. Her brother Emebert
was a priest in the diocese of Cambrai. Her biography mentions Gudula
as her sister. Her mother entered the religious life
at Maubeuge Abbey
.
Reineldis made a pilgrimage
to the Holy Land
. Her vita
, written between 1048–1051 in Lobbes Abbey
,
records this fact, stating that she visited Jerusalem.
She returned home and devoted herself to a life of charitable work
at Saintes
. She was decapitated by the Huns
at Saintes, together with deacon Grimoaldus and her servant Gondulphus.
of the town. Some sources even indicate that Saintes owes its name to Reineldis' martyrdom.
The parish church
of Saintes is dedicated to Sainte-Renelde since the Middle Ages
and has preserved the relic
s of Saint Reineldis. This church has a large bell tower built in the 17th century.
Saint Reineldis' patronage for eye diseases is due to the association with a water well
in Saintes known as "Sainte Renelde's well", water which is believed to cure eye diseases.
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...
of the 7th century, martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed by the Huns
Huns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
.
Life
Reineldis was born in a place called Condacum (which is identified with either Condé-sur-l'EscautCondé-sur-l'Escaut
-Administration:Condé-sur-l'Escaut is the eastern member of the agglomerated Valenciennes metropolitan area, which together administers 35 communes.-References:...
or Kontich
Kontich
Kontich is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Kontich proper and Waarloos. On December 31, 2010 Kontich had a total population of 20,584...
). She was the daughter of Duke Witger of Lotharingia
Lotharingia
Lotharingia was a region in northwest Europe, comprising the Low Countries, the western Rhineland, the lands today on the border between France and Germany, and what is now western Switzerland. It was born of the tripartite division in 855, of the kingdom of Middle Francia, itself formed of the...
and Saint Amalberga of Maubeuge
Amalberga of Maubeuge
Saint Amalberga of Maubeuge was a Lotharingian saint who lived in the 7th century. She is said to have been the sister or niece of Pippin of Landen. She married Count Witger, Duke of Lotharingia and Count of Brabant. She was the mother of Saint Emebert, Saint Reineldis, Saint Pharaildis and Saint...
. Her brother Emebert
Emebert
Saint Emebert, often identified with bishop Ablebert of Cambrai . He would have been the son of Duke Witger of Lotharingia and Saint Amalberga of Maubeuge. His siblings include four other saints, Ermelinde, Gudula, Pharaildis and Reineldis. According the Gesta Episcoporum Cameracensis he was buried...
was a priest in the diocese of Cambrai. Her biography mentions Gudula
Gudula
Saint Gudula was born in the pagus of Brabant . According to her 11th-century biography , written in Lobbes Abbey between 1048 and 1051, she was the daughter of a duke of Lotharingia called Witger and Amalberga of Maubeuge...
as her sister. Her mother entered the religious life
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
at Maubeuge Abbey
Maubeuge Abbey
Mauberge Abbey was a women's religious house at Maubeuge, in what is now northern France, close to the present border with Belgium. It is best known today as the abbey built by Saint Aldegonde, and the educational institution for the young Jan Gossaert, a renaissance painter known as Mabuse after...
.
Reineldis made a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. Her vita
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
, written between 1048–1051 in Lobbes Abbey
Lobbes Abbey
Lobbes Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Lobbes in Hainaut, Belgium. The abbey played an important role in the religious, political and religious life of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, especially around the year 1000.-Foundation:...
,
records this fact, stating that she visited Jerusalem.
She returned home and devoted herself to a life of charitable work
Charity (virtue)
In Christian theology charity, or love , means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others.The term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity to mean benevolent giving.- Caritas: altruistic love :...
at Saintes
Saintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....
. She was decapitated by the Huns
Huns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
at Saintes, together with deacon Grimoaldus and her servant Gondulphus.
Veneration
Saint Reineldis is primarily venerated in Saintes as the patron saintPatron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of the town. Some sources even indicate that Saintes owes its name to Reineldis' martyrdom.
The parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of Saintes is dedicated to Sainte-Renelde since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and has preserved the relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s of Saint Reineldis. This church has a large bell tower built in the 17th century.
Saint Reineldis' patronage for eye diseases is due to the association with a water well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
in Saintes known as "Sainte Renelde's well", water which is believed to cure eye diseases.