Saint Ælfthryth of Crowland | |
|---|---|
| Born | unknown England |
| Died | c.835 Crowland,England |
| Venerated in | Eastern orthodox church,Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | Pre-congregation |
| Majorshrine | Crowland |
| Feast | 2 August |
Ælfthryth, also known asAlfreda,Alfritha,Aelfnryth, orEtheldritha,[1] is aMercian princess,saint,virgin, andrecluse, venerated in both theCatholic Church andAntiochian Orthodox Church. She was a daughter of KingOffa of Mercia and his consort,Cynethryth.[1][2]
Ælfthryth was "either betrothed to or loved by"[1]Æthelberht II, the king of theEast Angles. Æthelberht was murdered in 793 while visiting Ælfthryth. The chroniclerJohn of Worcester, writing in the 12th century, places the blame on Ælfthryth's mother Cynethryth, the deed purportedly being committed so that her brother could ascend to the throne instead. Medieval chroniclers such asRoger of Wendover,Matthew Paris andJohn Brompton have been unwilling to cast any blame on King Offa, who founded monasteries, gave land to the church and travelled on pilgrimage to Rome.
Ælfthryth was horrified by the murder, so she departed the court and retired to theCrowland Abbey inthe Fens ofCrowland, where she lived as a recluse for 40 years, until her death of natural causes in 835.[1][2][3] Ælfthryth's sister Aelfreda also lost a husband due to their parents' political intrigue.[1]
According to theOxford Dictionary of Saints, Ælfthryth was "famous for her prophecies".[4] Her tomb was arranged aroundSt Guthlac's. A Crowland tradition states that Ælfthryth's relics were destroyed in 870 when Danes destroyed the abbey, but there is little evidence for it.[4] Her feast day is 2 August.[2]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Thurston, Herbert (1907). "St. Alfrida". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company. | This article about a saint from England is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |