A New Intercessor- Saint Austerberthe

[m. Evfrosinia]

Today I learned of a 7-8th century Orthodox saint from the region where our monastery is located, Haute Normandie. Our Venerable Mother Austreberthe, born around 630, embarked upon the monastic life at an early age. She was tonsured by Saint Omer (or Audomar), one of the enlighteners of this region, and founded a monastery for women near Pavilly, not far from Rouen. She was known for her strict and ascetic life, and died in 706. A healing spring appeared near the chapel where she was buried, and many miracles were recorded. She is often depicted with a wolf, because of an event in her life similar to the story of St. Gerasimus of the Jordan and his lion. The nuns of Saint Austreberthe's monastery used to do the laundry for the monks of the Jumieges abbey (one of the largest and best known monastic centers of this region, founded by St. Philibert in the 600's), located not too far away, and they had a donkey transport the washing to the abbey. During one of these trips he was attacked and eaten up by a wolf. St. Austreberthe called the wolf, and he came to her, humble and repentant, and laid at her feet. She forgave him, but as a penance he had to carry the laundry to the abbey himself for the rest of his days.
St. Austerberthe's feast day is Feb 10/23.
A small chapel and St. Austreberthe's Spring still exist today, near a village bearing her name, and we hope to visit soon. There is a church dedicated to St. Austreberthe about 7 km. away from us, and a statue of her and the wolf.
The 7-8th centuries was the golden age of monasticism in this area, there were around 300 monasteries in Normandy and Brittany.
O Venerable Mother Austreberthe, pray unto God for us!

[Barbara]

Wonderful discovery ! Thank you so much for letting us know about St Austerberthe. I had never heard of her.

Jumieges is famous, as you say. I remember studying that Abbey.

Please let us know about any other Saints from your area ! Also Brittany, too. I know there are many from there as well,
and devotion to St Anna is very powerful in that area.

Let us know when you get to visit St Austerberthe's Spring ! Maybe if photos turn out, that would be great to see some !

In what condition is the St Austerberthe's church that is close to you ? Have you seen the interior ?

[Jean-Serge]

Very interesting ! She has a Wikipedia page in French and other languages:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austreberthe_de_Pavilly

[Barbara]

Congratulations with the Feast of St Austerberthe, everyone !

Good timing, Jean-Serge. Maybe you looked it up on your French wikipedia on purpose today.

That's wonderful to view the entire entry.
She was a Benedictine nun, I see.

The source for all the information about her 'cult' as it's often called in the West is helpfully listed :

P. Meunier, Sainte Austreberte de Marconne, abbesse de Pavilly (ordre de S. Benoît), sa vie, ses miracles, son culte, Arras, Sueur-Charruez, 1888