St. Claudian. They were tortured and imprisoned with SS. Victor and Victorinus, and all died in prison in the course of three years, either at Apamea or Nicomedia, cities of Bithynia. R.M. AA.SS.
St. Bassa (3), Aug. 10, with SS. Paula and Agathonica, VV. MM. at Carthage. R.M. AA.SS.
St. Bassa (4), Basa (1).
SS. Bassa (5-9). Besides the above, five appear as martyrs.
St. Bassenes. See Faith, Hope, and Charity.
St. Bassila, or Basilissa, or Bassilla, Feb. 17, M. at Rome, with many others. AA.SS.
St. Bassilia, Feb. 28, M. with many others. AA.SS.
St. Basta, Aug. 10, V. M. at Carthage. Perhaps the same as Bassa, commemorated on this day with Paula and Agathonica.
St. Bathilde (1), Jan. 26. 30. † 680. (Badechild, Badechild, Baldhild, Baltilda, Baudour, Bauduria, Bauthieult, Bautour, Betilda, Varburgis.) Queen of France. Patron and founder of the abbeys of Chelles and Corbie.
Represented as queen and nun, with a ladder, in allusion to a vision, or as a pun upon the word Chelles (échelle, a ladder).
Wife of Clovis II. (638–656), and mother of Clothaire III., Childeric II., and Thierry III.
Of Clovis II., the Chronicle of St. Denis says, "De cestui roy Loys puet l'en plus dire de mal que de mal que de bien." He was tolerably devout, but had so many vices that they eclipsed his virtues: he was drunken, gluttonous, and dissolute. His wife was "de liguage Saisoigne, Bauthicut avoit non, sainte dame et religieuse et plaine de la paour nostre Seignour; et si estoit sage dame et de grant biauté, si fu celle qu l'en dit sainte Bauthieut de Chelle." She was a slave in the house of Erkonwald or Archibald, mayor of the palace, who married her to Clovis as soon as he was grown up. According to Sismondi, she had refused to become the mistress of Erkonwald. She is claimed by the English hagiographers as an Anglo-Saxon lady of rank, carried off by pirates, and sold in France to Erkonwald's first wife, on whose death Erkonwald proposed to marry Bathilde, but she fled, and only returned to his service when he had married again. Others say she was daughter of a king in Germany, and was carried captive in war by Clovis. As a fact, her origin is unknown. Mezeray observes on this point that when one has risen to high rank, "on n'a qu'a choisir la race dont on veut être descendu."
Slaves were publicly sold in the market at St. Denis near the abbey. The traffic was protected by the abbot. When Bathilde became queen she enacted laws to mitigate the condition of slaves, and to prevent Christians being sold as such.
One day Clovis II. went to the abbey of St. Denis to see the holy relics. Not content with looking at them, he wished to have one to wear, and therefore broke off a bone of the arm of St. Denis. The same hour the king was struck with madness. To appease the offended saint, he gave him several towns, and had the bone covered with pure gold and gems, and put back. He recovered his memory, and lived two years more, but was never the same man again.
After his death, in 656, Bathilde was Regent for some years. She was universally respected, but she seems to have confined her attention to matters ecclesiastical and religious, leaving secular affairs mainly in the hands of the mayors of the palace. She succeeded, however, in relieving the poor people from some of their grievances, especially a capitation tax, which caused great misery. She is a remarkable instance of a woman raised from the lowest to the highest station, acting invariably with conscientious discretion, sympathizing with those whose sufferings she had once known, generous and kind to all, the friend of the best and greatest men of her time.
Bathilde's great devotion to St. Eloy, goldsmith, prime minister, and bishop, was probably inspired by his kindness to Saxon slaves, as well as by his other saintly qualities. In 659 she heard he was dying. She hastened to Noyon, with the little kings, the court, and a crowd of nobles, who had a great affection for the venerable prelate. They hoped
