Clotilde
Clotilde (c. 474 – 3 June 545), also known as Clothilde, Clotilda, Clotild, Rotilde etc. (Latin: Chrodechildis, Chlodechildis from Frankish *Hrōþihildi or perhaps *Hlōdihildi, both "famous in battle"), was a Queen of the Franks. She was supposedly descended from the Gothic king Athanaric and became the second wife of the Frankish king Clovis I (r. 481–509) in 493. The Merovingian dynasty to which her husband belonged ruled Frankish kingdoms for over 200 years (450–758).
Saint Clotilde | |
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A lithograph of Saint Clotilde | |
| Queen of the Franks | |
| Born | c. 474 Lyon, Burgundy |
| Died | 3 June 545 (aged 70–71) Tours, Francia |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, Lutheranism |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | June 3 (June 4 in France) |
| Attributes | wearing a crown and holding a church; with a battle in the background, in memory of the Battle of Tolbiac. |
| Patronage | brides, adopted children, parents, exiles, notaries, widows, the lame |
Venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church as well as by the Eastern Orthodox Church, she played a role in her husband's famous conversion to Christianity and, in her later years, became known for her almsgiving and penitential works of mercy. She is credited with spreading Christianity within western Europe.