Sainte Mathilde
Fille du comte Dietrich
de Westpalie et de la comtesse Reinhilde du Danemark, alors qu'elle est encore
une enfant, elle est confiée aux soins de sa grand-mère, devenue après son
veuvage abbesse du couvent d’Erfort. En 913, son éducation étant achevée, elle
quitte le monastère pour épouser Henri, le fils du duc Othon de Saxe. De cette
union naissent cinq enfants : Othon le Grand, empereur d’Allemagne, Henri, duc
de Bavière, saint Brunon, archevêque de Cologne et duc de Lotharingie,
Gerberge, qui épousera le roi Louis d’Outremer, et Hedwige, qui épousera Hugues
le Grand, comte de Paris (les futurs parents d’Hugues Capet). En 919, son époux
Henri accède au trône et sait se faire apprécier de ses sujets. Mathilde, pour
sa part, consacre une grande partie de son temps à la prière et au secours des
pauvres, mais devient veuve en 933. Ses deux fils aînés (Othon et Henri)
s'affrontent alors pour gagner la couronne (qui est alors élective), et
Mathilde prend le parti d'Henri. C'est cependant Othon qui accède au pouvoir.
Les deux frères se réconcilient et se liguent contre leur mère, qu'ils
dépouillent de tous ses biens avant de l'obliger à quitter la cour. Elle se
réfugie dans la solitude dans la ville d’Engern, en Westphalie durant quelques
années. Après avoir été gravement malade, Henri demande pardon à sa mère pour
le mal qu'il lui a fait, lui restitue tous ses biens et l'invite à revenir à la
cour. Elle se consacre alors entièrement aux bonnes œuvres, et fonde monastères
et églises. Elle meurt en 968.
Sainte Mathilde
Reine
d'Allemagne (+ 968)
ou Maud.
Épouse heureuse d'Henri
l'Oiseleur, roi de Germanie, elle eut beaucoup à souffrir de ses deux fils
après la mort de son mari. Othon, le premier empereur de Germanie, lui
reprochait ses libéralités pour les pauvres et les monastères sous le prétexte
qu'elle ruinait le pays. Elle pacifia ces querelles puis s'en remit à la paix
de la vie monastique des moniales bénédictines en Saxe. Elle et son mari
s'étaient beaucoup aimés pendant les vingt années de leur mariage, aussi
demanda-t-elle à être transportée là où il était enterré, afin de reposer près
de lui.
À Quedlinbourg en Saxe, l’an 968, sainte Mathilde. Épouse très fidèle de Henri,
roi de Prusse, remarquable par son humilité et sa patience, elle fut très
généreuse pour soulager les pauvres et construire des asiles de vieillards et
plusieurs monastères. Dépouillée de ses biens par sa fille, elle se retira au
monastère de Quedlinbourg pour achever sa vie dans la prière et la pénitence.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/808/Sainte-Mathilde.html
_Liber_Chronicarum_(serietitel)%2C_RP-P-2016-49-55-9.jpg)
Hendrik
de Vogelaar en zijn vrouw Heinricus primus rex germanie (titel op object) Liber
Chronicarum (serietitel)
Sainte MATHILDE
Fille du comte Dietrich
(Thierry) de Westpalie et de la comtesse Reinhilde du Danemark. Alors qu'elle
est encore une enfant, son père la confie aux soins de sa grand-mère, devenue
abbesse du couvent d’Erfort après être devenue veuve. En 913, son éducation
étant achevée, elle quittele monastère pour épouser Henri, le fils du duc Othon
de Saxe (+ 895). De cette union naissent cinq enfants : Othon le Grand,
empereur d’Allemagne, Henri, duc de Bavière, Saint-Brunon, archevêque de
Cologne et duc de Lotharingie, Gerberge, qui épouse le roi Louis d’Outremer, et
Hedwige, qui épouse Hugues le Grand, comte de Paris (les futurs parents
d’Hugues Capet). En 919, Henri accède au trône et sait se faire apprécier de
ses sujets. Mathilde, pour sa part, consacre une grande partie de son temps à
la prière et au secours des pauvres, mais devient veuve en 933. Ses deux fils
aînés (Othon et Henri) s'affrontent alors pour gagner la couronne (qui est
alors élective), et Mathilde prend le parti d'Henri. C'est cependant Othon qui
accède au pouvoir. Les deux frères se réconcilient et se liguent contre leur
mère, qu'ils dépouillent de tous ses biens avant de l'obliger à quitter la
cour. Elle se réfugie dans la solitude dans la ville d’Engern, en Westphalie
durant quelques années. Après avoir été gravement malade, Henri demande pardon
à sa mère pour le mal qu'il lui a fait, lui restitue tous ses biens et l'invite
à revenir à la cour. Elle se consacrer alors entièrement aux bonnes œuvres, en
plus de fonder cinq monastères et plusieurs églises. Elle décède au cours d'une
visite qu'elle effectuait au couvent de Quedlimbourg (890-968) Sainte-Mathilde
est la patronne des familles nombreuses. Elle est invoquée pour venir en aide
aux parents qui sont en conflit avec leurs enfants.
SOURCE : http://www.saint-dicton.com/
Statue
of Matilda of Ringelheim in church of the Holy Trinity in Żmigród
Żmigród
- kościół par. p.w. Św. Trójcy, rzeźba św. Matyldy
Impératrice d'Allemagne
(+ 968)
Sainte Mathilde eut pour ancêtre et pour descendants des princes remarquables,
des héros fameux et de grands saints. Elle naquit dans les dernières années du
IXe siècle.
Sa mère, après la mort de son époux, quitta le monde et entra dans un
monastère. Mathilde fut élevée par des religieuses, sous les yeux maternels.
Cette éducation produisit des fruits merveilleux, et l'on ne savait ce qu'il
fallait admirer davantage en elle de sa beauté, de ses progrès dans les
sciences ou de son habileté dans les travaux de son sexe.
Le duc Othon de Saxe, ravi de tant de belles qualités, rehaussées par une piété
rare, la demanda en mariage pour son fils Henri, qui, peu d'années après,
devenait empereur d'Allemagne, sous le nom d'Henri Ier. Ce prince était digne
d'une telle épouse. Rarement époux eurent une si noble famille: Othon, leur
fils aîné, devint empereur et mérita le titre de Grand; Brunon fut archevêque
de Cologne, et l'Église l'a mis au rang des saints; une de leur filles fut
reine de France. Mais la gloire de Mathilde, c'est avant tout sa sainteté.
Dieu rompit bientôt les liens de ce mariage, dont l'amour divin était l'âme et
dont les saintes oeuvres étaient la joie; Henri mourut, jeune encore, malgré
les soins dévoués de sa sainte épouse, et sa mort fut pour Mathilde l'objet
d'une longue et profonde douleur. Dès lors le monde ne fut plus rien pour elle,
et elle ne s'occupa que de sa sanctification.
L'oraison, les jeûnes, l'aumône, la mortification, remplirent sa vie, et les
nuits suppléaient à la brièveté des jours pour prolonger ses colloques intimes
avec Jésus-Christ. Elle avait coutume de réciter tout le Psautier avant le
premier chant du coq. Les pauvres recevaient ses premières et ses dernières
visites; elle savait si bien suffire à toutes leurs nécessités, qu'ils
n'avaient qu'une voix pour l'appeler leur mère.
L'épreuve est le creuset de la vertu. L'empereur, prévenu contre sa mère,
l'exila; mais ce coup douloureux, qu'elle supporta avec une angélique patience,
fut bientôt suivi d'une éclatante réparation.
Peu de temps avant sa mort, Mathilde se retira dans un couvent pour se préparer
à la mort. On la vit descendre au rang des simples religieuses, remplir avec
joie les plus viles fonctions, et donner à toute la communauté l'exemple d'une
régularité parfaite. Elle mourut couchée sur un cilice recouvert de cendres, le
14 mars 968.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame,
1950.
SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/sainte_mathilde.html
Matilda
of Ringelheim in Collegiate Church of Quedlinburg
Comment sainte Mathilde a
réagi face à l’ingratitude de ses enfants
Mathilde
de Robien - publié le 13/03/22
Après la mort de son mari
Henri Ier en 936, sainte Mathilde, fêtée le 14 mars, se voit confisquer ses
biens par ses propres fils. Cela ne l’empêche pas de demander au Seigneur de
les bénir. Son attitude fait d’elle une sainte toute indiquée pour intercéder
en faveur de la paix dans les conflits familiaux.
Après 23 ans de mariage
heureux auprès d’Henri Ier, roi de Germanie, appelé aussi « Henri
l’Oiseleur » en raison de sa passion pour la chasse au faucon, la reine
Mathilde poursuit ses bonnes œuvres initiées aux côtés de son mari et fait
construire de nombreux hôpitaux et monastères. Des œuvres pieuses et
charitables qui ne sont pas vraiment au goût de ses fils.
Mathilde et Henri ont
cinq enfants, trois fils et deux filles. L’aîné, Otton, deviendra empereur
d’Allemagne et roi d’Italie, premier titulaire du Saint Empire romain
germanique. Henri sera roi de Bavière, et le cadet, Bruno, évêque de Cologne,
canonisé sous le nom de saint Bruno de Cologne. Quant aux filles,
Gerberge épousera Louis IV d’Outremer, roi de France. Et Edwige deviendra la
femme de Hugues le Grand et la mère de Hugues Capet.
Lors de la désignation
d’Otton comme héritier, en septembre 929, Henri Ier accroit
considérablement les biens de Mathilde pour la prémunir en cas de veuvage. Il
lui concède notamment le douaire sur les domaines de Quedlinbourg, Pöhlde,
Nordhausen, Grone et Duderstadt.
« Mes enfants sont
pour moi l’instrument de la volonté de Dieu »
Mais à la mort du roi,
les deux fils, Otton et Henri, s’allient pour dépouiller Mathilde de son
douaire et la reléguer dans un couvent en Westphalie. Ils l’accusent de
dilapider l’argent du royaume à force de fonder des monastères et de donner
l’aumône aux pauvres. Ne se plaignant pas de sa retraite forcée, elle répond
aux princes et aux prélats venant la réconforter : « Mes enfants sont
pour moi l’instrument de la volonté de Dieu : qu’Il soit béni et qu’Il les bénisse ».
« Jésus ne veut pas
déclencher une dispute, mais désamorcer la rancœur. »
Une douceur qui n’est pas
sans rappeler l’attitude à laquelle invite le Christ. Lorsque nous sommes mis à
l’épreuve, Jésus exhorte à ne pas céder à l’instinct et à la haine. Il invite
plutôt à se surpasser au point de rendre le bien au mal en tendant l’autre
joue : « À celui qui te frappe sur une joue, présente l’autre
joue » (Lc 6, 29).
Commentant le récit de la passion où Jésus reçoit une gifle d’un des gardes et
se contente de demander des comptes (« Si j’ai mal parlé, montre ce que
j’ai dit de mal? Mais si j’ai bien parlé, pourquoi me frappes-tu? »), le
pape François rappelait dans son homélie du 20 février dernier que « tendre
l’autre joue ne signifie pas souffrir en silence ni céder à l’injustice ».
Jésus le fait « sans colère ni violence, plutôt avec gentillesse; il
ne veut pas déclencher une dispute, mais désamorcer la rancœur ».
Une gentillesse et une
patience dont semble avoir fait preuve la future sainte Mathilde de Ringelheim,
et qui sont récompensées. Grâce à l’intervention de sa belle-fille Edith,
épouse d’Otton, Mathilde recouvre ses biens et sa liberté. Les deux princes se
réconcilient avec leur mère, et la rétablissent à la cour dans sa première
fortune.
On disait
d’elle : « Personne ne venait à elle dolent (malheureux) qui ne
repartit joyeux ». Sa douceur et sa grandeur d’âme font de sainte Mathilde
la sainte patronne des familles nombreuses. Elle est notamment invoquée pour
venir en aide aux parents en conflit avec leurs enfants.
Voici la prière de sainte
Mathilde récitée peu avant sa mort :
« Ô bon Jésus, je vous remercie de la grande miséricorde que vous faites à
votre vile créature de lui donner quelques petites choses à souffrir. Celui qui
vous regarde tout déchiré et étendu sur une croix si dure, peut-il avoir une
bouche, un cœur et une âme pour se plaindre ? Ainsi soit-il. »
Church
St. Mathildis in Quedlinburg, Germany
Statue
der heiligen Mathilde vor der ihr geweihten Kirche in Quedlinburg
Mathilde est un nom
d'origine germanique qui signifie "force" (maht) et
"combat" (hild).
Maud vient du celte "bon" (mad).
Reine de Germanie au Xe
siècle, fille de Thierry de Saxe, Mathilde épousera Henri l'Oiseleur qui devint
roi de Germanie. Il mènera une politique de grande taille, déjà
européenne ! Il impose son autorité en Souabe et en Bavière, réintègre la
Lorraine dans la mouvance germanique et tient en échec Slaves et Hongrois.
Pendant que son époux guerroie, Mathilde élève leurs enfants. L'aîné Otton sera
empereur d'Allemagne et roi d'Italie, premier titulaire du saint empire romain
germanique. Henri devient roi de Bavière et leur soeur Edwige sera la mère de
Hugues Capet, premier roi de France.
Pauvre reine
Mathilde ! Excellente mère, elle avait toutefois un faible pour son second
fils, Henri. L'aîné, Otton, lui en tenait rancune. Après la mort du roi Henri,
il se mit d'accord avec son frère pour dépouiller leur mère de son douaire et
la reléguer dans un couvent en Westphalie. Mathilde fut sauvée dans sa douleur
par sa foi en la Providence. Aux princes et aux prélats venant la plaindre,
elle répondait : "Mes enfants sont pour moi l'instrument de la
volonté de Dieu : qu'Il soit béni et les bénisse". Les fils ingrats finiront
par rendre à leur mère sa liberté et ses biens. Mathilde dépensa tout en créant
des oeuvres de charité pour les pauvres et les malheureux, ainsi que nombre
d'églises et de monastères en Allemagne de l'Ouest. On disait
d'elle : "Personne ne venait à elle dolent (malheureux) qui ne
repartit joyeux". La généreuse Mathilde, devenue veuve, achève sa vie en
simple religieuse à Northausen le 14 mars 968.
Rédacteur : Frère Bernard
Pineau, OP
SOURCE : http://www.lejourduseigneur.com/Web-TV/Saints/Mathilde-ou-Maud
Jindřich
Ptáčník a Matylda z Ringelheimu
Immagine
di Matilde assieme al marito Enrico nella Chronica sancti Pantaleonis
Also
known as
Matilda of Germany
Matilda of Ringelheim
Mathilde
Mathildis
Maud
Profile
Daughter of Count Dietrich
of Westphalia and
Reinhild of Denmark;
she was raised by her grandmother, abbess of
the Eufurt. In 913,
Matilda left the abbey,
and married King Henry
the Fowler of Saxony (Henry
I), who had received an annulment from
a previous marriage. Queen of Germany. Mother of
Otto, Holy Roman Emperor; Henry the Quarrelsome, Duke of Bavaria; Saint Bruno
the Great, Archbishop of Cologne, Germany;
Gerberga, wife of King Louis
IV of France;
Hedwig, mother of
Hugh Capet. Founded several Benedictine abbeys.
Well known throughout the realm for her generosity, she taught the
ignorant, comforted the sick,
and visited prisoners. Betrayed by
Otto after Henry’s death when
he falsely
accused her of financial mismanagement.
Born
c.895 at
Engern, Westphalia, Germany
14 March 968 at
Quedlinburg, Germany of
natural causes
buried in
the monastery at
Quedlinburg
people
ridiculed for their piety
bag of
money
purse,
indicative of her generosity
Additional
Information
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Roman Martyrology
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
Saints
of the Order of Saint Benedict, by Father Aegedius
Ranbeck, O.S.B.
Short
Lives of the Saints, by Eleanor Cecilia Donnelly
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
images
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
sites
en français
Abbé
Christian-Philippe Chanut
fonti
in italiano
nettsteder
i norsk
MLA
Citation
“Saint Matilda of
Saxony“. CatholicSaints.Info. 3 November 2021. Web. 14 March 2022.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-matilda-of-saxony/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-matilda-of-saxony/
Saint
Matilda. Colour photogravure, 1898
St. Matilda
Queen of Germany,
wife of King Henry I (The Fowler), born at the Villa
of Engern in Westphalia,
about 895; died at Quedlinburg, 14 March, 968. She was brought up at the monastery of
Erfurt. Henry, whose marriage to a young widow,
named Hathburg, had been declared invalid, asked for Matilda's hand,
and married her in 909 at Walhausen, which he presented to her as a
dowry. Matilda became the mother of: Otto
I, Emperor of Germany; Henry,
Duke of Bavaria; St.
Bruno, Archbishop of Cologne;
Gerberga, who married Louis IV of France;
Hedwig, the mother of Hugh
Capet. In 912 Matilda's husband succeeded his father as Duke of
Saxony, and in 918 he was chosen to succeed King Conrad of Germany.
As queen, Matilda was humble, pious,
and generous, and was always ready to help the oppressed and unfortunate. She
wielded a wholesome influence over the king. After a reign of seventeen years,
he died in 936. He bequeathed to her all his possessions in
Quedlinburg, Poehlden, Nordhausen, Grona, and Duderstadt.
It was the king's wish that his eldest son, Otto, should succeed him. Matilda wanted her favourite son Henryon the royal throne. On the plea that he was the first-born son after his father became king, she induced a few nobles to cast their vote for him, but Otto was elected and crowned king on 8 August, 936. Three years laterHenry revolted against his brother Otto, but, being unable to wrest the royal crown from him, submitted, and upon the intercession of Matilda was made Duke of Bavaria. Soon, however, the two brothers joined inpersecuting their mother, whom they accused of having impoverished the crown by her lavish almsgiving. To satisfy them, she renounced the possessions the deceased king had bequeathed to her, and retired to her villa at Engern in Westphalia. But afterwards, when misfortune overtook her sons, Matilda was called back to the palace, and both Otto and Henry implored her pardon.
Matilda built many churches, and founded or supported numerous monasteries. Her chief foundations were themonasteries at Quedlinburg, Nordhausen, Engern, and Poehlden. She spent many days at these monasteriesand was especially fond of Nordhausen. She died at the convents of Sts. Servatius and Dionysius at Quedlinburg, and was buried there by the side of her husband. She was venerated as a saint immediately after her death. Her feast is celebrated on 14 March.
Sources
Two old Lives of Matilda are extant; one, Vita antiquior, written in the
monastery of Nordhausen and dedicated to the Emperor Otto II; edited by KOEPKE
in Mon. Germ. Script., X, 575-582, and reprinted in MIGNE, P.L., CLI,
1313-26. The other, Vita Mahtildis reginae, written by order of the
Emperor Henry II, is printed in Mon. Germ. Script., IV, 283-302, and in
MIGNE, P.L., CXXXV, 889-9220. CLARUS, Die heilige Mathilde, ihr Gemahl
Heinrich I, und ihre Sohne Otto I, Heinrich und Bruno (Munster, 1867);
SCHWARZ, Die heilige Mathilde, Gemahlin Heinrichs I. Konigs von
Deutschland (Ratisbon, 1846); Acta SS., March, II, 351-65.
Ott, Michael. "St. Matilda." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 14 Mar. 2016<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10049a.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Michael T. Barrett. Dedicated to Hester Matilda Laird.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2020 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10049a.htm
Katholische Kirche Saint-Léonard in Croissy-sur-Seine im Département Yvelines (Île-de-France/Frankreich), Bleiglasfenster mit der Signatur: L LOBIN TOURS 1886 (Lucien-Léopold Lobin); Darstellung: Heilige Mathilde
St. Matilda was born about 895, the daughter of a German count. When she
was still quite young, her parents arranged her marriage to a nobleman named
Henry. Soon after their marriage, Henry became king of Germany. As queen,
Matilda lived a simple lifestyle with times for daily prayer.
Everyone who saw her realized how good and kind she was. She was more like a
mother than a queen. She loved to visit and comfort the sick. She helped
prisoners. Matilda did not let herself be spoiled by her position, but tried to
reach out to people in need.
King Henry realized that his wife was an extraordinary person. He told her many
times that he was a better person and a better king because she was his wife.
Even though their marriage had been arranged, Henry and Matilda really loved
each other.
Matilda founded several Benedictine abbeys, and was free to use the treasures
of the kingdom for charity. King Henry never questioned her. In fact, he became
more aware of the needs of people. He realized that he had the power to ease
suffering because of his position. The couple were happily married for
twenty-three years. Then King Henry died quite suddenly in 936.
The queen suffered the loss very much. She decided then and there to live for
God alone. So she called the priest to celebrate Mass for King Henry’s soul.
Then she gave the priest all the jewels she was wearing. She did this to show
that she meant to give up the things of the world from then on.
Although she was a saint, Matilda made a big mistake. She favored her son,
Henry, more than her son, Otto, in the struggle to be king. She was sorry for
having done this. She made up for it by accepting without complaint the
sufferings that came her way. Nevertheless, she was betrayed by Otto after
Henry’s death when he falsely accused her of financial mismanagement.
After years spent in
practicing charity and penance, St. Matilda died peacefully in 968. She was
buried beside her husband. From St. Matilda we can learn to offer up little
sufferings to make up for our sins and mistakes.
SOURCE : http://www.ucatholic.com/saints/saint-matilda/
.JPG)
Sainte
Mathilde, détail d'un vitrail du chœur de l'église Notre-Dame de l'Assomption,
Trélissac, Dordogne, France.
Matilda of Saxony, Queen, Widow (RM)
(also known as Mathildis, Maud, Mechtildis)
Born at Engern, Westphalia, Germany, c. 895; died at Quedlinburg, March 14,
968. Saint Matilda is another who shows us the possibility of living in the
world and reaching the state of Christian perfection. It's not easy, especially
at first, because there are so many delightful distractions that titillate the
senses and feed the ego. But when the soul becomes acquainted with God and
forms a relationship, it hungers and thirsts for more of His love. Thus,
fervent prayer, holy meditation, and reading pious books, are more necessary
for those living in the world than for professed religious, because of the
continual distractions. Amidst the pomp, hurry, and amusements of a court,
Saint Matilda gave herself up to holy contemplation with such earnestness, that
though she never neglected any duties, her soul was raised to heaven. Saint
Matilda was daughter of Count Dietric (Theodoric) of Westphalia and Reinhild of
Denmark. At a very early age her parents placed her under the care of her
grandmother, Maud, abbess of Eufurt monastery, who had renounced the world upon
her widowhood. Matilda relished the life of prayer and spiritual reading. Like
all young ladies she learned the refined skill of needlework. She remained in
the convent until her parents married her to Henry, son of Duke Otto of Saxony,
in 909 (some vitae push all the dates for marriage and crowning by several
years).
Her husband, named the Fowler, from his fondness for popular sport of hawking,
became duke of Saxony at the death of his father, in 912. Upon the death of
Conrad I in 919, was chosen king of Germany. He was a pious and victorious
prince, and very tender of his subjects. His solicitude in easing their taxes,
made them ready to serve their country in his wars at their own cost, though he
generously recompensed their zeal after his expeditions, which were always
attended with success.
While he by his arms checked the insolence of the Hungarians and Danes, and
enlarged his dominions by adding to them Bavaria, Matilda gained domestic
victories over her spiritual enemies, more worthy of a Christian, and far
greater in the eyes of heaven. She nourished the precious seeds of devotion and
humility in her heart by assiduous prayer and meditation; and, not content with
the time which the day afforded for these exercises, employed part of the night
the same way. The nearer the view was which she took of worldly vanities, the
more clearly she discovered their emptiness and dangers and sighed to see men
pursue such bubbles to the loss of their souls; for, under a fair outside, they
contain nothing but poison and bitterness.
It was her delight to visit and comfort the sick and the afflicted, to serve
and instruct the poor, and to show charity to prisoners, procuring their
freedom if justice would permit it or easing their suffering by liberal alms.
Her husband, edified by her example, concurred with her in every pious
undertaking.
After twenty-seven years of marriage, Matilda and Henry were separated by his
death in 936. During his last illness, Matilda went to the church to pour forth
her soul in prayer for him at the foot of the altar. As soon as she understood,
by the tears and cries of the people, that he had expired, she called for a
priest that was fasting, to offer the holy sacrifice for his soul; and at the
same time cut off the jewels which she wore, and gave them to the priest as a
pledge that she renounced from that moment the pomp of the world.
She had three sons (one source says five); Otto, afterwards emperor; Henry,
duke of Bavaria who is known as "the Quarrelsome"; and Saint Bruno,
archbishop of Cologne. Henry was the better suited to succeed his father, but
Otto, the eldest, was elected. Otto was crowned king of Germany in 937.
Matilda, in the contest between her two elder sons for the elected crown,
favored her middle son, Henry, a fault she expiated by severe afflictions and
penance. When Otto (the Great) was elected, she persuaded him to name Henry
duke of Bavaria after he had led an unsuccessful revolt.
These two sons conspired to strip her of her dowry, on the unjust charge that
she had squandered away the revenues of the state on the poor. This persecution
was long and cruel, especially because it came at the hands of her precious
sons. She retired to her country home but was later recalled to the court at the
insistence of Otto's wife, Edith. The errant princes were reconciled to her and
restored her all they had taken. She then became more liberal in her alms than
ever.
When Henry again revolted, Otto put down the insurrection in 941 with great
cruelty. Matilda censured Henry when he began another revolt against Otto in
953 and for his ruthlessness in suppressing a revolt by his own subjects; at
that time she prophesied his imminent death. Yet, the testimony of her son
Henry is powerful. He told her: "Oh, my very dear one, in all things you
have given us excellent advice: how many times have you changed iniquity to
justice."
After Henry's death in 955, she devoted herself to building many churches and
four religious houses, including Engern, Pöhlde in Brunswick (where she
maintained 3,000 monks), Quedlinburg in Saxony (where she buried her husband),
and Nordhausen, where she retired in her later years. When she had finished the
buildings, Quedlinburg became her usual retreat. After his victories over the
Bohemians and Lombards, Matilda governed the kingdom when Otto went to Rome in
962 to be crowned emperor, which is often regarded as the beginning of the Holy
Roman Empire.
During the last of her 32 years of widowhood, Matilda entered one of the
convents she had founded at Nordhausen. She applied herself totally to her
devotions, and to works of mercy. It was her greatest pleasure to teach the
poor and ignorant how to pray, as she had formerly taught her servants. In her
last sickness she made her confession to her grandson William, the archbishop
of Mentz, who yet died twelve days before her, on his road home. She again made
a public confession before the priests and monks of the place, received a
second time the last sacraments, and lying on a sackcloth with ashes on her
head. Her body remains at Quedlinburg, where she is buried beside her husband.
The Benedictines venerate her as one of their oblates.
To find the bliss Matilda
found requires foregoing vain pleasures to open precious hours for devotional
exercises. Perhaps we can all hasten our journey toward sanctity this Lent by
giving up an hour of television daily to spend in prayer or Scripture study or
volunteering to help the less fortunate. Time is a most precious commodity; use
it wisely (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Husenbeth).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0314.shtml
St. Maud, or Mathildis, Queen of Germany
From her life, written forty years after her death, by the order of St. Henry; Acta Sanct. t. 7. p. 361.
A.D. 968
THIS princess was daughter of Theodoric, a powerful Saxon count. Her parents,
being sensible that piety is the only true greatness, placed her very young in
the monastery of Erford, of which her grandmother Maud, who had renounced the
world in her widowhood, was then abbess. Here our saint acquired an
extraordinary relish for prayer and spiritual reading; and learned to work at
her needle, and to employ all the precious moments of life in something serious
and worthy the great end of her creation. She remained in that house an
accomplished model of all virtues, till her parents married her to Henry, son
of Otho, duke of Saxony, in 913. Her husband, surnamed the Fowler, from his
fondness for the diversion of hawking, then much in vogue, became duke of
Saxony by the death of his father, in 916; and in 919, upon the death of
Conrad, was chosen king of Germany. He was a pious and victorious prince, and
very tender of his subjects. His solicitude in easing their taxes, made them
ready to serve their country in his wars at their own charges, though he generously
recompensed their zeal after his expeditions, which were always attended with
success. Whilst he, by his arms, checked the insolence of the Hungarians and
Danes, and enlarged his dominions by adding to them Bavaria, Maud gained
domestic victories over her spiritual enemies, more worthy of a Christian, and
far greater in the eyes of heaven. She nourished the precious seeds of devotion
and humility in her heart by assiduous prayer and meditation; and, not content
with the time which the day afforded for these exercises, employed part of the
night the same way. The nearer the view was which she took of worldly vanities,
the more clearly she discovered their emptiness and dangers, and sighed to see
men pursue such bubbles to the loss of their souls; for, under a fair outside,
they contain nothing but poison and bitterness.
It was her delight to visit, comfort, and exhort the sick and the afflicted; to
serve and instruct the poor, teaching them the advantages of their state from
the benedictions and example of Christ; and to afford her charitable succours
to prisoners, procuring them their liberty where motives of justice would
permit it; or at least easing the weight of their chains by liberal alms; but
her chief aim was to make them shake off their sins by sincere repentance. Her
husband, edified by her example, concurred with her in every pious undertaking
which she projected. Alter twenty-three years’ marriage, God was pleased to
call the king to himself by an apoplectic fit, in 936. Maud, during his sickness,
went to the Church to pour forth her soul in prayer for him at the foot of the
altar. As soon as she understood, by the tears and cries of the people, that he
had expired, she called for a priest who was fasting, to offer the holy
sacrifice for his soul; and at the same time cut off the jewels which she wore,
and gave them to the priest, as a pledge that she renounced from that moment
the pomp of the world. She had three sons; Otho, afterwards emperor; Henry,
Duke of Bavaria, and St. Bruno, archbishop of Cologne. Otho was crowned king of
Germany in 937, and emperor at Rome in 962, after his victories over the
Bohemians and Lombards. Maud, in the contest between her two elder sons for the
crown which was elective, favoured Henry, who was the younger, a fault she
expiated by severe afflictions and penance. These two sons conspired to strip
her of her dowry, on the unjust pretence that she had squandered away the
revenues of the state on the poor. This persecution was long and cruel, coming
from all that was most dear to her in this world. The unnatural princes at
length repented of their injustice, were reconciled to her, and restored her
all that had been taken from her. She then became more liberal in her alms than
ever, and founded many churches, with five monasteries; of which the principal
were that of Polden in the duchy of Brunswick, in which she maintained three
thousand monks; and that of Quedlinbourg in the duchy of Saxony. 1 She
buried her husband in this place, and when she had finished the buildings, made
it her usual retreat. She applied herself totally to her devotions, and to
works of mercy. It was her greatest pleasure to teach the poor and ignorant how
to pray, as she had formerly taught her servants. In her last sickness she made
her confession to her grandson William, the archbishop of Mentz, who yet died
twelve days before her, on his road home. She again made a public confession
before the priests and monks of the place, received a second time the last
sacraments, and lying on a sack-cloth with ashes on her head, died on the 14th
of March in 968. Her body remains at Quedlinbourg. Her name is recorded in the
Roman Martyrology on this day.
The beginning of true virtue is most ardently to desire it, and to ask it of
God with the utmost assiduity and earnestness, 2 preferring
it with all the saints to kingdoms and thrones, and considering riches as
nothing in comparison with this our only and inestimable treasure. Fervent
prayer, holy meditation, and reading pious books, are the principal means by
which it is to be constantly improved, and the interior life of the soul to be
strengthened. These are so much the more necessary in the world than in a
religious state, as its poison and distractions threaten her continually with
the greatest danger. Amidst the pomp, hurry, and amusements of a court, St.
Maud gave herself up to holy contemplation with such earnestness, that though
she was never wanting to any exterior or social duties, her soul was raised
above all perishable goods, dwelt always in heaven, and sighed after that happy
moment which was to break the bonds of her slavery, and unite her to God in
eternal bliss and perfect love. Is it possible that so many Christians, capable
of finding in God their sovereign felicity, should amuse themselves with
pleasures which flatter the senses, with reading profane books, and seeking an
empty satisfaction in idle visits, vain conversation, news, and sloth, in which
they pass those precious hours which they might employ in exercises of
devotion, and in the duties and serious employments of their station? What
trifles do they suffer to fill their minds and hearts, and to rob them of the
greatest of all treasures? Conversation and visits in the world must only be
allowed as far as they are social duties, must be regulated by charity and
necessity, sanctified by simplicity, prudence, and every virtue, animated by
the spirit of God, and seasoned with a holy unction which divine grace gives to
those whom it perfectly replenishes and possesses.
Note 1. The abbess of this latter is the first princess of the
empire. [back]
Note 2. Sap. vii. 6. [back]
Rev. Alban Butler (1711–73). Volume III: March. The Lives
of the Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/3/141.html
Patron Saints
for Girls – Saint Matilda
Matilda
was daughter of Thierri, a petty prince of considerable importance in Saxony.
Brought up in the cloister under the eyes of her aunt, abbess of Enford, she at
an early period tasted all the sweetness of prayer and penance.
Matilda grew up in the
cloister, and gladly would she have spent her whole life there, had it not
pleased Providence to ordain otherwise. She was torn from her retreat, and
married to Henry, son of Otho, Duke of Saxony. Three years after this marriage,
Henry, having lost his father, succeeded to his title, and four years after
this event, he succeeded Conrad, King of Germany.
Henry proved to Matilda
that she had found in him an excellent spouse. His piety and courage won him
the respect of his subjects, who looked on him as a father. He was engaged in
war against the Hungarians and Danes, and whilst her husband was in the camps,
Matilda devoted herself to exercises of piety, visiting the sick and consoling
the afflicted.
Meanwhile death arrested
Henry’s career. He died of apoplexy, after having reigned seventeen years.
Matilda resigned herself to God’s will, and, after assisting at the Holy
Sacrifice offered for the repose of his soul, she divested herself of all her
sumptuous ornaments, and laid them down on the altar of the Most High. She was
the mother of three children, Otho, Henry, and Bruno; the former, who succeeded
his father, was crowned emperor at Rome in 962. Henry was Duke of Bavaria, and
Bruno became Archbishop of Cologne.
Many and terrible were
the conflicts that preceeded Otho’s coronation. The crown being elective, Henry
disputed it, and Matilda, urged by an unjustifiable predilection, declared in
favor of the latter. This conduct of the queen-mother kindled discord between
the two brothers. Matilda had committed a great error, but God made her atone
for it, by the serious trials He sent to her. Her two sons, Otho and Henry,
leagued against her, and stripped her of her dowry, alleging that she had
impoverished the state by her alms-giving.
Matilda submitted,
without murmuring, to the decrees of Providence, and patiently bore the
injuries inflicted on her by her own children. The persecution was long and
cruel. At length the two sons grew ashamed of themselves, became reconciled to
their mother, and restored the dowry to her.
Once more possessed of
her property, she devoted it all to the poor. She founded five monasteries and
many churches, and she frequently resorted to them all to hold sweet communion
with her God. Thither, likewise, came vast multitudes of rich and poor, to be
instructed in all the practical duties of a Christian’s life.
Matilda was surprised by
death in the midst of those holy occupations. She was then in the monastery of
Quedlinbourg. In the presence of the whole community she made a public
confession of her sins, and, stretched upon ashes, she received the last
sacraments from the hands of William, Archbishop of Mayence, who was her
nephew. She died 14
March 968.
Happy is she who, like
Saint Matilda, despises the transitory glories and pleasures of this life for
the kingdom of God. Oh, truly happy is she who sets the right value on the
fallacious joys of this world, and tramples on them all, for purity of heart,
charity, love of penance, and good works, which makes a diadem for a
Christian’s head.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/patron-saints-for-girls-saint-matilda/
Nemespann
templom üvegablak
Pictorial
Lives of the Saints – Saint Maud, Queen
Article
This princess was
daughter of Theodoric, a powerful Saxon count. Her parents placed her very
young in the monastery of Erford, of which her grandmother Maud was then
abbess. Our Saint remained in that house, an accomplished model of all virtues,
till her parents married her to Henry, son of Otho, Duke of Saxony, in 913, who
was afterwards chosen king of Germany. He was a pious and victorious prince,
and very tender of his subjects. Whilst by his arms he checked the insolence of
the Hungarians and Danes, and enlarged his dominions by adding to them Bavaria,
Maud gained domestic victories over her spiritual enemies more worthy of a
Christian, and far greater in the eyes of heaven. She nourished the precious
seeds of devotion and humility in her heart by assiduous prayer and meditation.
It was her delight to visit, comfort, and exhort the sick and the afflicted; to
serve and instruct the poor, and to afford her charitable succors to prisoners.
Her husband, edified by her example, concurred with her in every pious
undertaking which she projected. After twenty-three years’ marriage, God was
pleased to call the king to himself, 936. Maud, during his sickness, went to the
church to pour forth her soul in prayer for him at the foot of the altar. As
soon as she understood, by the tears and cries of the people, that he had
expired, she called for a priest that was fasting to offer the holy sacrifice
for his soul. She had three sons: Otho, afterward emperor; Henry, Duke of
Bavaria, and Saint Brunn, Archbishop of Cologne. Otho was crowned king of
Germany in 937, and emperor at Rome in 962, after his victories over the
Bohemians and Lombards. The two oldest sons conspired to strip Maud of her
dowry, on the unjust pretence that she had squandered the revenues of the state
on the poor. The unnatural princes at length repented of their injustice, and
restored to her all that had been taken from her. She then became more liberal
in her alms than ever, and founded many churches, with five monasteries. In her
last sickness she made her confession to her grandson William, the Archbishop
of Mentz, who yet died twelve days before her, on his road home. She again made
a public confession before the priests and monks of the place, received a
second time the last sacraments, and lying on a sackcloth, with ashes on her
head, died on the 14th of March in 968.
Reflection – The
beginning of true virtue is most ardently to desire it, and to ask it of God
with the utmost assiduity and earnestness. Fervent prayer, holy meditation.,
and reading pious books are the principal means by which this virtue is to be
constantly improved, and the interior life of the soul to be strengthened.
MLA
Citation
John Dawson Gilmary Shea.
“Saint Maud, Queen”. Pictorial Lives of the Saints, 1889. CatholicSaints.Info.
2 February 2014. Web. 14 March 2022. <https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-maud-queen/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-maud-queen/
Kath.
Kirche St. Mathilde in Alt-Laatzen (Laatzen), Region Hannover
Saints
of the Order of Saint Benedict – Saint Matilda, Empress
Already in this month we
have had the feast of an Empress, Saint Kunegunde, who retired from the highest
earthly station to serve God as a lowly nun; today another Empress, Saint
Matilda, who also forsook the palace for the cloister, claims our reverence.
She was the daughter of Theodoric, Count of Altenburg in Saxony, and of
Rheinhilde, his wife. Her parents, pious themselves, had their child carefully
instructed in the duties and practices of religion. From her earliest years she
was accustomed to assist at the singing of the Divine Office in one of the many
Benedictine Houses which then flourished throughout Saxony, and this pious
exercise she continued after she had mounted the imperial throne. When of
marriageable years, she was wedded to Henry, son of the Duke of Saxony; and she
proved a true helpmate to her husband, both when he succeeded his father as
Duke of Saxony, and subsequently when, on the death of Conrad, the vote of the
German Princes elected him Emperor of Germany. The success of this Emperor’s
reign both in peace and war – he vanquished the Hungarians, then the scourge of
Germany, the Sclavs, and the Dalmatians – was, in a great measure, due to the
piety of the Empress, who won the favour of Heaven by the holiness of her life,
her constant prayer, and her charity to the poor. The latter she took under her
special protection, spending her revenues in feeding and clothing them. As
those who help the poor never miss their reward, so the union of Matilda and
Henry was blessed. While Henry was yet Duke of Saxony, she bore him Otho, who
afterwards as Emperor earned for himself the name of “Great,” and Gerebirge,
who became the wife of Giselbert, Duke of Lorraine. After she had become
Empress she gave birth to Henry, who, on account of his likeness to his father,
was her favourite, also to Bruno, Hedwige, and Matilda.
On the death of her
spouse, after a prosperous reign of seventeen years, Matilda tried to secure
the imperial sceptre for her favourite, Henry; but the Electors chose Otho. At
the request of his mother, the new Emperor granted to Henry the Dukedom of
Bohemia. The tender heart of the Empress was afterwards sorely tried when war
broke out between Otho and Henry. Her prayers, however, were effectual in
reconciling the brothers, and a lasting peace was made, Bavaria being ceded to
Henry.
A little later, Matilda
bade farewell to the splendour of the Court, and withdrew to the Convent of
Quedlinburg in Saxony, which had been founded jointly by herself and by Henry.
There she laid down the jewelled crown for the nun’s veil; instead of the
sceptre her hands wielded the broom; she, so lately waited on by the noblest
ladies in the land, now took delight in being the servant of the Community. Her
food was of the plainest; she allowed herself little sleep, and mortified her
flesh by fasting and the scourge. Not a day passed without her distributing
alms to the poor and having masses and prayers said for the repose of her
husband’s soul. They say that the Empress lived to an extreme old age, doing
her Master’s work to the very end. As she lay at death’s door, William,
Archbishop of Mayence, who was in the neighbourhood, determined to stay on in
order to assist at her obsequies; but such is the uncertainty of human life, he
was himself carried off first. Nor was his death unknown to Matilda. Though
scarce able to speak, she summoned the Sisters to pray for the soul of the
Archbishop, which, she said, was at that moment departing. She did not long
survive him, and was buried beside her husband at Ouedlinburg.
– text and illustration
taken from Saints
of the Order of Saint Benedict by Father Aegedius
Ranbeck, O.S.B.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saints-of-the-order-of-saint-benedict-saint-matilda-empress/
Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla.
Pintura anónima de Santa Matilde, óleo sobre lienzo (ca.
1640-1650), atribuida con libro y vestido rico en detalles. Pintura de una
serie para el Hospital de las Cinco Llagas, Sevilla.
Santa Matilde di Germania Regina
Engern, Sassonia, 895 circa - Quedlinburgo, Sassonia, 14 marzo 968
Da lei e da suo marito Enrico I (duca di Sassonia e più tardi re di Germania) discende la casata che conterà quattro imperatori: la famosa dinastia sassone. Educata nel monastero di Herford, in Westfalia, dove sua nonna era badessa, Matilde sa leggere e scrivere, un fatto non frequentissimo nelle grandi casate del tempo, e non si mantiene estranea alle vicende della politica. Quando nel 936 muore suo marito Enrico, lei non è molto favorevole al primogenito Ottone come successore e tenta di far proclamare re il più giovane Enrico. Si arriva a un conflitto tra i due fratelli. Dopo l'incoronazione imperiale di Ottone a Roma (962) la famiglia è riconciliata. Matilde si ritira nel monastero di Nordhausen, dove, dopo essersi spesa per i poveri e i malati, si ammala, e più tardi si trasferisce in un altro monastero: a Quedlimburgo, in Sassonia dove morirà. (Avvenire)
Etimologia: Matilde = forte in guerra, dal tedesco
Emblema: Corona, Globo, Scettro, Borsa di denaro, Modellino di chiesa
Martirologio Romano: A Quedlinburg in Sassonia, in Germania, santa Matilde, che, moglie fedelissima del re Enrico, fu insigne per umiltà e pazienza e si prodigò generosamente nell’assistenza ai poveri e nella fondazione di ospedali e monasteri.
Santa Matilde, discendente del duca Viduchindo, che aveva guidato i sassoni nella loro lunga battaglia contro Carlo Magno, nacque verso l’895 presso Engern in Sassonia da Teodorico, un conte della Westfalia, e da Rainilde, originaria della real casa danese. Ben presto Matilde fu affidata alle cure della nonna paterna, badessa di Herford, sotto la cui guida crebbe sana e forte, divenendo una donna bella, istruita e devota. Felice si rivelò il matrimonio con il figlio del duca Ottone di Sassonia, Enrico, detto “l’uccellatore” per la sua passione nella caccia del falco. Subito dopo la nascita del loro primogenito Ottone, Enrico succedette al padre e verso il 919, quando re Corrado di Germania morì senza prole, eredito anche il trono tedesco.
A causa delle frequenti guerre Enrico si allontanava spesso da casa e sia lui che i suoi sudditi attribuivano le vittorie conseguite alle preghiere ed al coraggio della regina Matilde, che nel suo palazzo conduceva a tutti gli effetti una vita monacale, generosa e caritatevole verso tutti. Suo marito nutriva nei suoi confronti una cieca fiducia e difficilmente si prendeva la briga di controllare le sue elemosine o si risentiva per le sue pratiche religiose. Nel 936, rimasta vedova, Matilde si spogliò immediatamente di tutti i suoi gioielli rinunciando ai privilegi tipici del suo rango.
Dall’unione tra Enrico e Matilde erano nati cinque figli: Enrico il Litigioso, il futuro imperatore Ottone I, San Bruno arcivescovo di Colonia, Gerburga moglie del re Luigi IV di Francia ed Edvige madre di Ugo Capeto. Enrico avrebbe preferito lasciare il trono al fratello Ottone, ma Matilde tentò di convincere i nobili ad eleggere comunque lui, suo prediletto, ma infine la spuntò Ottone. Enrico inizialmente si ribellò al fratello, ma infine riconobbe la sua supremazia e questi allora, per intercessione di Matilde, lo perdonò e lo nominò duca di Baviera. Suo figlio divenne poi imperatore col nome di Enrico II alla morte di Ottone I.
La regina Matilde conduceva una vita assai austera ed a causa delle sue ingenti elemosine si attirò le ire dei figli: Ottone la accusò infatti di sperperare il tesoro delal corona, le richiese un rendiconto delle sue spese e la fece spiare per tenere sotto controllo ogni suo movimento, ma con suo grande dolore anche il figlio favorito Enrico si schierò con il fratello appoggiando la proposta di far entrare la madre in convento onde evitare ulteriori danni al patrimonio familiare. Matilde sopportò con estrema pazienza tuttò ciò, constatando amaramente come i suoi figli si fossero riappacificati solo per perseguire i loro interessi a suo discapito. Lasciò allora tutta la sua eredità ai figli e si ritirò nella residenza di campagna ove era nata.
Era però destino che la Germania non potesse fare ameno di questa santa donna: appena partita, infatti, Enrico cadde ammalato e sorsero nuovi problemi politici. Sotto pressione del clero e dei nobili, la moglie di Ottone convinse questi a chiedere perdono alla madre, a restituirle il maltolto e richiamarla a partecipare agli affari di stato. Matilde tornò così a corte e riprese anche le sue opere di carità. Enrico continuò comunque ad essere per lei fonte di tormenti: si ribellò nuovamente al fratello Ottone e soppresse in modo sanguinoso una ribellione dei suoi sudditi bavaresi. Nel 955, quando Matilde lo vide per l’ultima volta, ne predisse la morte ed invano lo invitò a tornare sui suoi passi prima che fosse troppo tardi. Ottone invece mostrò rinnovata fiducia nella regina madre, lasciando a lei tutto il potere quando nel 962 dovette recarsi a Roma per ricevere la corona imperiale.
L’ultima riunione di famiglia ebbe luogo tre anni dopo a Colonia, in occasione della Pasqua, poi Matilde si ritirò definitivamente nei monasteri da lei fondati, in particolare a Nordhausen. Verso la fine del 967 una febbre che la disturbava ormai da tempo si aggravò ulteriormente e Matilde, presagendo la sua prossima fine, mandò a cercare Richburga, sua ex dama di compagnia ed ora badessa di Nordhausen, per spiegarle che doveva partire per Quedlinburg, luogo scelto con suo marito per la loro sepoltura. Nel gennaio 968 dunque si trasferì e suo nipote, Guglielmo di Magonza, le fece visita per darle l’assoluzione e l’estrema unzione. Desiderando ricompensarlo, non le restò però che donargli il suo sudario prevedento che ne avrebbe avuto bisogno prima lui: Guglielmo morì infatti dodici giorni prima di lei.
La santa regina spirò il 14 marzo 968 e le sue spoglie mortali erano state appena deposte in chiesa quando giunse una coperta intessuta d’oro mandata dalla figlia Gerburga per adornare il feretro. Il corpo di Matilde venne sepolto accanto a quello del marito e subito iniziò la venerazione popolare nei suoi confronti. Nelle diocesi tedesche di Paderborn, Fulda e Monaco è ancora oggi particolarmente vivo il suo culto. L’iconografia è solita raffigurare Santa Matilde con in mano il modelino di una chiesa o una borsa di denaro, simboli della sua generosità e delle sue fondazioni monastiche, quali Poehlde, Enger, Nordhausen e ben due presso Quedlinburgo.
Autore: Fabio Arduino
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/45325
Konrad
Astfalck. Brautwerbung Herzog Heinrich I. und Mathilde von Engern, 909, 1896,
Folk high
school herford
Den hellige Mathilde
(~895-968)
Minnedag: 14.
mars
Den hellige Mathilde
(Mechthild, Matilda, Maud, lat: Mathildis) ble født ca 895 i Engern i Westfalen
i Tyskland som datter av grev Dietrich (Theoderik) av Sachsen og Reinhildis av
Danmark, som var av dansk-frisisk slekt. Hun var oldebarn av den berømte hertug
Widukind av Sachsen, som ledet sakserne i deres lange kamp mot Karl den Store.
Foreldrene lot henne oppdra i klosteret Herford ved Teutoburger Wald, hvor
hennes mormor Maud var blitt abbedisse etter at hun ble enke. Der vokste
Mathilde opp til å bli en vakker, lærd og from ung kvinne.
Som 14-åring ble hun i
909 gift i Walhausen med Henrik, sønn av hertug Otto av Sachsen og senere tysk
konge som Henrik I Fuglefangeren. Han hadde først vært gift med den unge enken
Hatheburg, men det ekteskapet ble erklært ugyldig. Han hadde sitt tilnavn fordi
han var så glad i falkejakt. Det ble et lykkelig ekteskap hvor Mathilde hadde
en beherskende innflytelse på mannen. Mathilde ble mor til fem barn: Den senere
keiser Otto I, Gerberga (som ble gift med hertug Giselbert av Lorraine og
deretter med kong Ludvig IV av Frankrike), Hedvig (som ble mor til Hugo Capet),
Henrik den Trettekjære av Bayern og den hellige erkebiskop Bruno I av Köln.
Gjennom Henrik av Bayern ble hun farmor til den hellige keiser Henrik II.
Otto var født i 912, like
før faren overtok som hertug etter sin far. Da kong Konrad døde barnløs i
begynnelsen av 919, ble Henrik Fuglefangeren valgt til konge av de tyske
fyrstene i Fritzlar. Henrik var konstant i krig, og både han og hans
undersåtter tilskrev hans suksesser like mye til hans fromme dronnings bønner
som til hans egen dyktighet. Hun levde som en ordenskvinne i det kongelige
palasset, sjenerøs og elskelig mot alle. Hennes mann, som stolte fullstendig på
henne, blandet seg sjelden inn i hennes sjenerøse almisser eller motsatte seg hennes
fromme øvelser. Han døde i 936, og da Mathilde fikk nyheten, tok hun straks av
seg juvelene hun bar som tegn på at fra det øyeblikk hadde hun gitt avkall på
sin stillings prakt.
Etter Henriks død i 936
mente Mathilde at den nest eldste sønnen, Henrik, som var hennes favoritt og
«født under purpuret» skulle etterfølge faren, basert på bysantinsk kronerett.
Hun overtalte noen få adelsmenn til å stemme på ham. Men Otto ble valgt og
kronet til kong Otto I (936-73) den 8. august 936. Men Henrik, med tilnavnet
den Trettekjære, aksepterte ikke avgjørelsen og prøvde tre år senere å rive til
seg tronen med makt. Men han mislyktes og måtte søke fred. Mathilde klarte å
skape fred mellom dem, og Otto benådet ham, og etter morens anmodning ble
Henrik hertug av Bayern. Men Otto, som var provosert av at moren favoriserte
Henrik, behandlet henne senere svært dårlig. Men Henrik viste seg også
utakknemlig mot henne. Begge klaget blant andre ting på morens gavmildhet
overfor de fattige og overfor Kirken. Men i de 32 årene Mathilde var enke, bar
hun hele tiden tålmodig over med sønnene. Hun bemerket med et snev av humor at
det var en trøst å vite at hennes sønner nå var enige, selv om det bare var for
å straffe henne.
Mathilde var også en
kamp- og maktbevisst dronning, som handlet mer etter en herskertankegang enn
etter moderlig-familiære hensyn. Hun støttet sin svigersønn Giselbert mot Otto
I, og hadde vel det avgjørende ord da hennes yngste sønn Bruno fikk
hertugdømmet Lorraine som len. Men for å fjerne mulig fremtidige klager ga
Mathilde sin arv til sine to sønner og trakk seg tilbake til landeiendommen der
hun var blitt født. Men ikke før var hun borte før Henrik ble syk og
statsaffærene begynte å gå dårlig. Dette ble tolket som en straff for de to
herskernes dårlige behandling av sin mor. På anmodning av adelen og
presteskapet klarte Ottos kone Edith å snakke mannen til fornuft, og han ba sin
mor om tilgivelse og ga tilbake alt han hadde tatt fra henne. Mathilde tilga
sine to sønner og vendte tilbake til hoffet, hvor hun tok opp sitt
nestekjærlige arbeid. Fra 947 holdt hun seg trofast til sin eldste sønn.
Men Henrik fortsatte å
være en kilde til sorg. Han gjorde på nytt opprør mot Otto i 953 og senere slo
han med stor grusomhet ned et opprør blant sine egne bayerske undersåtter. Da
Mathilde så ham for siste gang i 955, profeterte hun hans død og tryglet ham om
å angre og gjøre bot før det var for sent. Da nyheten om hans død kom, slo den
henne nesten til jorden. Da Otto i 962 dro til Roma for å krones til keiser,
var det Mathilde som styrte i hans fravær. Denne kroningen regnes som starten
på Det hellige romerske imperium av tysk nasjon. Hun fikk også oppleve
sønnesønnen Otto IIs kroning til medkeiser i 967. Da Otto IIs sønn Otto III
døde barnløs i 1002, ble Henrik av Bayerns sønn, den hellige Henrik II, tysk
konge og senere keiser.
Den siste familie
samlingen fant sted i Köln påsken 965. Keiser Otto I var der sammen med
Mathildes andre overlevende barn og barnebarn. Etter denne tiden tilbrakte hun
det meste av tiden i sine monastiske grunnleggelser. I 929 hadde mannen Henrik
gitt henne en svært stor enkeformue, og den hadde hun rundhåndet brukt til å
grunnlegge klostre for både munker og nonner i Quedlinburg (klostrene St.
Servatius og St. Wigbert), Pöhlde i Braunschweig (hvor hun hadde 3.000 munker),
Enger og Nordhausen, alle i Harz og omegn. Til slutt trakk hun seg tilbake til
kvinneklosteret i Nordhausen. Benediktinerne regner henne blant sine oblater.
Mot slutten av 967 ble en
feber som en tid hadde plaget henne, plutselig verre. Hun forsto at hun var
døende og sendte bud på Richburga, hennes tidligere hoffdame, nå abbedisse i
Nordhausen, og sa at hun måtte dra i all hast til Quedlinburg. Hun forklarte at
det for lenge siden var bestemt av hennes mann Henrik at det skulle være deres
begravelsessted. Den siste flyttingen ble foretatt i januar 968. Hennes
barnebarn, biskop Vilhelm av Main, besøkte henne, hørte hennes skriftemål og
salvet henne. Hun ønsket å gi ham en gave og spurte abbedisse Richburga om det
fantes noen ting tilgjengelig. Siden alle hennes eiendeler nå var delt ut til
de fattige, var det ingenting igjen bortsett fra hennes eget liksvøp. Hun sa:
«Gi det til biskop Vilhelm. Han vil trenge det først... Når jeg dør, vil det
folkelige ordtaket vise seg å stemme: slektninger finner alltid de nødvendige
midler til en bryllupskjole eller en begravelse».
Biskop Vilhelm døde 12
dager før sin bestemor. Hun døde den 14. mars 968 i Quedlinburg. Hennes legeme
var blitt fraktet til kirken da det kom sendebud fra hennes datter Gerberga med
et klede brodert med gull, akkurat i tide til å legges over kristen. Mathilde
ble gravlagt i domkirken i Quedlinburg ved siden av sin mann og hadde stort ry
for godhet blant folket. Hun ble æret lokalt som helgen straks etter at hun var
død. Allerede av sin første biograf, munken Widukind av Corvey, ble hun
kalt Mirae sanctitatis femina, «Kvinne av underbar hellighet».
Hennes minnedag er 14.
mars. Hun blir fremstilt som dronning med pisk og kirkemodell, mens hun deler
ut almisser. Hennes navn står i Martyrologium Romanum.
Kilder:
Attwater/John, Attwater/Cumming, Bentley, Butler (III), Benedictines, Delaney,
Bunson, Engelhart, Schnitzler, Schauber/Schindler, Melchers, Gorys, Dammer/Adam,
KIR, CE, CSO, Patron Saints SQPN - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Sist oppdatert: 2000-11-01 21:18
