Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 2.djvu/310

208 ST. WALBURGA in perfect health to her parents. They tried to heap gifts upon her bnt she would accept nothing, and returned on foot to the convent. Many translations have occurred and given rise to her commemoration on many different days, and perhaps to the belief that there were other saints of the same name in other places, for instance, at Bourges and at Paderbom. As the writer of the extant Life of her brother St. Wunibald, she has been called the earliest authoress of England or Germany, bnt although that was written by a nun at Heidenheim, there is not sufficient evidence to prove that it was the work of Walburga. A phenomenon accepted as proof of her sanctity is the healing oil which still flows from her tomb — from her breast bone, it is said — and has wrought miraculous cures for centuries. It runs from a square opening in the stone on which her relics rest, through silver tubes, into a silver reservoir, from whence it is sent far and near. In the Boman Martyrology, May 1, she is coupled with St. Asaph as English. Heathen superstitions are mingled with the honour paid her, and the witches' Sabbath of May 1 bears her name. Miss Eckenstein thinks that Walpurgis was the name of the English saint, that Walburga was a German heathen goddess, and that their worship has been confused by the ignorant. Her Life by Wolf hard von Hasenried was written immediately after her death, if not before it. AA.S8. Butler. Baillet. Stadler. Kerslake, Saint Bichard, the King of Englishmen, and The Celt and the Teuton in Exeter. St. Walburga (2), Feb. 25, V. + 840. Sister of St. Luthard or Suithard, bishop of Paderbom in Westphalia. Benedictine nun at Herswerde near Paderbom. Stadler. Bucelinus. Same as Walbukqa (1). Henschenius. St. Waldegund, Baldegund. St. Waldetrude, Waltrude. St. Waldrada, Valdrada, Vaudr^e, Vausiee, or Qaudr^e, May 5, + c. 620, abbess of the nunnery of Sfc. Peter, built at Metz by her kinsman Elouthc- rius, a leader of the Franks. AA.SS, Bucelinus. St. Walpurd, or Walpubgis, Wal- burga. St. Waltrude, April 9, Feb. 4, Nov. 2 (Waldbtrudb, Waiobud, Waudbu, Valdbtbudis, Valtbudb, Vaudbu), ab- bess, patron and founder of Mons in Hainault, + between 658 and 686. Represented (1) in a nun's dress, with the pastoral staff of an abbess, holding a church in her hand as a founder ; (2) ransoming prisoners, for whom she had a great compassion; (3) as one of a family of saints; (4) with her four children; (5) with her two daughters as nuns. She was the daughter of SS. Walbert and Bertilla (1), and was sister of St. Aldbgundis (2) and cousin of St. Ata. Waltrade was wife of B. Mauger, who was count of Hennegau and held a high place in the Court of King Dagobert I. to whom she was related. Mauger and Waltrade welcomed all pilgrims and missionaries from Lreland, and it has been said that he was of Irish descent and that his true name was Macleeadar (Maguire). According to O'Hanlon, Waltrude is reckoned among the Lrish saints, because her husband was Lrish and she went with him to his native land to bring holy and learned men to preach the gospel in France. Lanigan speaks of Mauger as a distinguished Irish soldier in the service of Dagobert Waltrude was the mother of SS. Landry, Dentelin, Adbltbude (1) and Madbl- BBRT ; Landry was bishop of Metz, or of Means, or of Meldaert, he died abbot of his father's monastery of Soignies ; Den- telin died young. By Waltrade's advice, Mauger be- came a monk at Haumont sur Sambre, near Maubeuge, where his daughters were afterwards abbesses. He built another monastery at Soignies, where he died in 677. He took the name of Vincent and is commonly called St. Vincent of Soignies. Waltrude de- voted herself to works of mercy, ^ es- pecially towards prisoners and captives. Two years after her separation from her husband, by the advice of her director St. Guilain, she begged St. Hidulph, who had married her kinswoman St. Aya, to buy a place for her on the mountain of