Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/294

280 ST. ETHELBURGA St. Ethelburga (2), Oct. il (JiIdil- BKKGA, Edilburoa). + 664. First Abbess of Barking. Of the family of Offa, king of the East Angles. Sister of St. Earconwald, bishop of London, a most holy saint, honoured by Qod with the gift of miracles. Before his promo- tion to the bishopric, he founded two famous monasteries : one for himself at Ceortcsei (Chertsey), the other at Ber- cingum (Barking) for his sister. He invited Hildelitha from France to teach her monastic customs. Ethelburga proved herself a sister worthy of such a brother, and Barking became celebrated not only for the fervour of its nuns, but for the zeal they displayed for the study of the Holy Scriptures, the fathers of the Church, and even the classic tongues. Like her brother, she had the gift of miracles. Hers was a double monastery. It is recorded that when the pestilence of 664 ravaged the country, and the ranks of the monks were being rapidly thinned by the terrible scourge, Ethel- burga consulted her nuns as to where they would themselves wish to be buried when the pestilence came to their part of tho monastery. Nothing was decided until one night, at the end of matins, soon after midnight, the nuns had left the oratory to pray beside the graves of the departed monks, when suddenly they saw a light which seemed to cover them as with a shining shroud ; it was brighter than the sun at noonday. The sisters, alarmed, left off singing, and the light, rising from that place, moved to the south of the monasteiy and west of the oratory. After some time, it was drawn up again to heaven. All took this as a heavenly sign to show the place whore their bodies were to rest. Several reve- lations were made to tho nuns during this plague as to the deaths of each other. ToRCHGYTH had a vision of a glorified body, wrapped in a shining sheet, and being drawn up to heaven by cords brighter than gold. In a few days the Abbess Ethelburga died, and so ful- filled the vision. Bede, Eccl, 7/w/., bk. iv. Capgravc, Nova Logeuda Ang,,io, 13i», 140 (1510). St. Ethelburga (:0» ^^^Y " (^Edil- BEROA, AtHELBUROA, AuBIERGE, EdIL- burga). 7th century. Abbess of Brie. Daughter of Anna, king of the East Angles, and sister of Ethelbeda and Sexbubga. Ethelburga and her step- sister SiBTHBYTH wero sout to the monas- tery of Faremoutier, in Brie, to be educated. Here Ethelburga took the veil, and afterwards becune abbess. While she was abbess, she began to build in her monastery a church in lionour of all the apostles, where she wished to be buried. She died, how- ever, before the building was finished, but was buried where she desired. After her death, the building was left un- touched for seven years; then the brothers of the monastery, instead of building this church, decided to move Ethel- burga's bones to some church that was consecrated. On opening the tomb, the body of the saint was found so fresh that they had it washed and dressed, and re- moved to the church of St. Stephen. RM. Bede, iii. 8. Eng. Mart. St. Ethelburga (4), Feb. 6, July i». + c. 740. Queen of Wessex. Wife of Ina, king of Wessex (688-728). Sister of Uie sub-regulus Adalard, a prince of the same family as Ina. Ina succeeded Ceadwalla, and reigned long and prosperously, making wise and useful laws, and laying the foundation of that ascendency which Wessex ultimately gained over the other kingdoms of England. About the same time that the great abbey of Medehamstedo was being enlarged and endowed in Mercia, Ina renewed and established two large monas- teries at Abingdon and Glastonbury. Glastonbury is said to have been origin- ally founded by Joseph of Arimatha>a, not many years after our Lord*s ascen- sion ; and there he is said to have planted his staff of thorn. In token of the truth of the story, the staff grew into a tree, and flowers at Christmas to this day. Ina richly endowed Glastonbury, making it a free monastery. It continued to be held in great reverence by his successors, and was a favourite shrine of the British Christians. Ho built a church at Wells ; and, with his aid, his sisters, Cuthburga and Quimburga, built tho monastery at Wimbome, afterwards so famous.