| Saint Austrebertha | |
|---|---|
Statue of Austrebertha |
|
| Born | 630 Therouanne, Artois |
| Died | 704 Pavilly, Normandy |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 10 February |
| Attributes | wolf; depicted as a nun |
Austrebertha (Austreberta, Eustreberta, Austreberta of Pavilly) (French: Austreberthe) (630-704) is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. The daughter of Saint Framechildis and the Count Palatine Badefrid, she became a nun after she refused to be part of an arranged marriage. She received the veil from Saint Omer at Abbeville and later became an abbess at Jumieges, and at Pavilly. She helped reform the convent of Pavilly.
The towns named Sainte-Austreberthe refer to her.
A popular legend told of Austrebertha states that one day, while looking for the donkey whose task it was to carry the laundry of the monks to the convent, she came across a wolf. The wolf admitted to killing the donkey and begged for forgiveness. Austrebertha forgave the wolf but commanded him to carry the laundry himself, a task that the wolf performed for the rest of its life.[1]