Berlinda of Meerbeke
| Saint Berlinda | |
|---|---|
| Died | 702 AD |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | February 3 |
| Attributes | depicted as a Flemish nun with a cow and either a pruning hook or branch; sometimes portrayed with Saints Nona and Celsa[1] |
| Patronage | protectress of trees and invoked against cattle diseases[1] |
Saint Berlinda (Berlindis, Bellaude) (died 702) was a Benedictine nun of noble descent. Her feast day is 3 February. Her legend states that she was a niece of Saint Amandus, and that she was disinherited by her father, Count Odelard, after he became sick with leprosy and believed that she would not take proper care of him.
Berlinda fled to a convent at Moorsel, near Aalst, and became a nun. After her father died, she became a hermit at Meerbeke, where her father had been buried. Her tradition states that she spent her life helping the poor and suffering.