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Icon of St. Batilda, queen.
Other forms of her name are Bathilidis, Bathild, Bathchilde, and
Bauteur
Feast: Jan. 30
An Anglo-Saxon by birth, St.
Batilda was captured in 641 by Danish raiders and sold to Erchinoald,
the chief officer of the palace of Clovis II, King of the Franks. She
quickly gained favour, for she had charm, beauty, and a graceful and
gentle nature. She also won the affection of her fellow-servants, for
she would do them many kindnesses such as cleaning their shoes and
mending their clothes, and her bright and attractive disposition
endeared her to them all.
The officer, impressed by her fine qualities, wished to make her his
wife, but Batilda, alarmed at the prospect, both by reason of her
modesty and of her humble status, disguised herself in old and ragged
clothes, and hid herself away among the lower servants of the palace;
and he, not finding her in her usual place, and thinking she had fled,
married another woman.
Her next suitor, however, was none other than the king himself, for
when she had discarded her old clothes and appeared again in her place,
he noticed her grace and beauty, and declared his love for her. Thus in
649, the 19-year-old slave girl Batilda became Queen of France, amidst
the applause of the court and the kingdom. She bore Clovis three sons:
Clotaire III, Childeric II, and Theodoric III--all of whom became
kings. On the death of Clovis (c. 655-657), she was appointed regent in
the name of her eldest son, who was only five, and ruled capably for
eight years with Saint Eligius (f.d. December 1) as her advisor.
She made a good queen and ruled wisely. Unlike many who rise suddenly
to high place and fortune, she never forgot that she had been a slave,
and did all within her power to relieve those in captivity. We are told
that "Queen Batilda was the holiest and most devout of women; her pious
munificence knew no bounds; remembering her own bondage, she set apart
vast sums for the redemption of captives." She helped promote
Christianity by seconding the zeal of Saint Owen (f.d. August 24),
Saint Leodegar (f.d. October 2), and many other bishops.
At that time the poorer inhabitants of France were often obliged to
sell their children as slaves to meet the crushing taxes imposed upon
them. Batilda reduced this taxation, forbade the purchase of Christian
slaves and the sale of French subjects, and declared that any slave who
set foot in France would from that moment be free. Thus, this
enlightened women earned the love of her people and was a pioneer in
the abolition of slavery.
She also founded many abbeys, such as Corbie, Saint-Denis, and Chelles,
which became civilised settlements in wild and remote areas inhabited
only by prowling wolves and other wild beasts. Under her guidance
forests and waste land were reclaimed, cornland and pasture took their
place, and agriculture flourished. She built hospitals and sold her
jewellery to supply the needy. Finally, when Clotaire came of age, she
retired to her own royal abbey of Chelles, near Paris, where she served
the other nuns with humility and obeyed the abbess like the least of
the sisters.
She died at Chelles before she had reached her 50th birthday. Death
touched her with a gentle hand; as she died, she said she saw a ladder
reaching from the altar to heaven, and up this she climbed in the
company of angels.
She is the patroness of children. Holy Mother Batilda, pray to God for
us!
Icon from a workshop of the
ECOF (Orthodox Church of France). Click the image to see the composite
icon from which this graphic was taken.
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