Clothilde
Clotilde (c. 474 – 3 June 545 in Burgundy, France) (also known as Clotilda (Fr.), Chlothilde (Ger.) Chlothieldis, Chlotichilda, Clodechildis, Croctild, Crote-hild, Hlotild, Rhotild, and many other forms) is a Roman Catholic saint. As the consort of the Merovingian king Clovis I, the first king of the Franks, she was a Queen of the Franks. She convinced Clovis to convert to Christianity; the Franks, due to her influence, remained Catholics for centuries. Clotilde is the patron saint of the lame in Normandy and that of Les Andelys, and she has been "invoked against sudden death and iniquitous husbands." Her feast day is June 3.
Since the 6th century, according to hagiographer David Hugh Farmer, the marriage of Clovis and Clotilde has been "the theme of epic narratives, in which the original facts were materially altered". Belgian historian Godefroid Kurth writes that Clotilde's story fascinated later generations because it was "the centerpiece of a struggle between the old Catholic, Roman population against the Arianism of the Germanic tribes," although there is no evidence that Clovis was an Arian sympathizer before his marriage and conversion to Catholicism.
Clotilde is represented as a praying queen and as a nun. She built churches, monasteries, and convents, including the Basilica of the Holy Apostles, originally dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. After the death of Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, Clovis and Clothilde built a mausoleum for her at the church and rededicated it to her.
Political and violent intrigue surrounded Clotilde's family for most of her life. Kurth writes that she was "saddened by cruel trials." After Clovis died, she spent the rest of her life near the tomb of Saint Martin of Tours, "led a devout life," became "totally detached from politics and power-struggles except through prayer", and gave all her possessions to the poor.
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