Radegund

Saint Radegund was born around 520 in Thuringia, a Germanic kingdom, the daughter of King Bertachar. Orphaned by violence and taken into her uncle’s household, she was later carried off in the Frankish conquest of Thuringia and brought to Gaul by King Clotaire I, who married her about 540. Though a queen, Radegund was known for prayer, generosity to the poor, and a heart increasingly drawn to Christ rather than courtly power. When Clotaire had her brother—the last male of her royal line—put to death, Radegund fled to the protection of the Church. With the help of Bishop Medard of Noyon, she was ordained a deaconess and embraced a life of consecration. Around 560 she founded the Abbey of the Holy Cross at Poitiers, serving the sick and living with striking austerity. She obtained a relic of the True Cross, inspiring hymns that still echo in the Church’s liturgy. Venerated as a holy queen turned humble servant, she is patroness of Roatto. Her feast day is August 13.