Gertrude the Great
Encyclopedia : G : GE : GER : Gertrude the Great
| Saint Gertrude | |
|---|---|
| Virgin, Religious | |
| Born | January 6 1256, Eisleben, Thuringia |
| Died | November 17, 1301, Helfta, Saxony |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism |
| Beatified | No |
| Canonized | No |
| Feast | November 16 |
| Attributes | |
| Patronage | West Indies |
| May my soul bless you, Lord God, my creator; may my soul bless you and from the marrow of my innermost being may thanks be given for your mercies, with which your most intemperate love has so undeservedly surrounded me! Libris Insinuationum divinae pietatis, by St. Gertrude | |
Gertrude the Great (January 6 1256–November 17 1301) was a German Benedictine and mystic writer.
Gertrude was born January 6 1256, in Eisleben, Thuringia, Holy Roman Empire). Nothing is known of her parents, so she was probably an orphan. As a young girl, she joined the Benedictine monastery in Helfta, under the direction of its abbess, Gertrude of Hackeborn. (In later years the monastery was mislabeled as a Cistercian monastery.) She dedicated herself to her studies, becoming an expert in literature and philosophy. She later experienced a conversion to God and began to strive for perfection in her religious life. She had various mystical experiences, including a vision of Jesus, who invited her to rest her head on his breast to hear the beating of his heart.
She died at Helfta, near Eisleben, Saxony, 17 November, 1301 or 1302.
She is properly known as Saint Gertrude for, although never formally canonized, she was equipollently canonized in 1677 by Pope Clement XII when he inserted her name in the Roman Martyrology. Her feast was set for November 16.
See also
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