Godeleva
The holy godelieve (* around 1052, † 6 or July 30th 1070 in Gistel ) is mainly in Flanders revered (Belgium) martyr . She is called for a fever and a sore throat . In Flanders, Godeleva's feast day , July 6th, is the day of the Lost for the weather.
The name is the Old High German female equivalent of Gottlieb and means "the God-loving". The equivalents are in Dutch Godelieve , in French Godeliève and in English Godelina .
Life and legend
The noble Godeleva was born around 1052 in Londefort Castle (nl. Londesvoorde) in the county of Boulogne . Her husband, the Flemish nobleman Bertolf (Berthold) von Ghistelles, son of the lord of the castle von Gistel, disowned her immediately after the wedding and let her live with his mother. There she had to do farm work and, for example, keep the crows away from the sown grain. When the bells rang and Godeleva was dying to go to church, she got the crows to gather in the barn until they returned. She was mistreated at Bertolf's mother and in desperation fled home to her parents, who complained to the Bishop of Tournai and the Count of Flanders . The ecclesiastical and secular princes then ordered Bertolf to take his wife back and treat her appropriately. Bertold obeyed this, but got rid of her by having Godeleva strangled by his servants on a journey from Gistel to Bruges and thrown into a pond. Her fall into the pool was portrayed as an accident. Godeleva was buried in the castle chapel while Bertolf took another wife, with whom he had a blind daughter, Edith. When Bertolf's second wife died 13 years later, she was buried next to Godeleva. Edith wanted to beg God at her mother's grave to see. Her wish was instantly granted because, it turned out, she had prayed at Godeleva's grave. Alternatively, it is said that Edith washed her eyes with the water into which Godeleva's corpse was thrown and was thus freed from her blindness . When Bertolf found out, he repented of his sins towards Godeleva, went on numerous pilgrimages and entered a monastery, where he lived until his death.
Adoration of the Holy Godeleva
Saint Godeleva is honored as a virgin, wife, cast out wife and martyr .
In 1084 their relics were exhumed. From then on, their cult spread particularly in Gistel and Flanders, but also in the Boulogne-sur-Mer area . A fountain was built over the pond into which she was thrown after her murder, and around it the Ten Putte Abbey .
Every year on the Sunday after July 5th, a procession in honor of the saints takes place in Gistel . Around 400 extras illustrate the life of the saints.
Representations of Saint Godeleva
In the fine arts, Godeleva's attribute is a cloth that indicates her death by strangling , and often the crown of martyrs. A well-known representation of the life and miracles of these saints in art history is a winged altar by the anonymous master of the legend of Saint Godelieve , named after his portrayal of the saint. The middle picture of the work shows her wedding to Bertolf and his betrayal of his wife.
Name bearers
literature
- Ekkart Sauser: Godeleva (Godeliève). In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 18, Bautz, Herzberg 2001, ISBN 3-88309-086-7 , Sp. 519.
- Saint Godeleva zu Gistel (Dutch) ( Memento of May 29, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Godeleva |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Godelieve (Dutch); Godeliève (French); Godelina (English) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Martyr and patron saint |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1052 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Boulogne county |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 6th 1070 or July 30th 1070 |
| Place of death | Gistel |