Godeberta
Frankish saint
Feast: 11 April (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Godeberta was born about 640 at Boves, near Amiens, to noble parents attached to the court of King Clovis II. When her marriage was being discussed before the king, St. Eligius, Bishop of Noyon, gave her a gold ring and expressed the hope that she would give her life to God; she turned down her suitors and took the veil under his guidance.
The king gave her his small palace at Noyon with a chapel of St. George, and there she founded a convent and led it as superior, known for her penances and fasts. It is recorded that in 676, when Noyon was threatened by fire, she made the sign of the cross over the flames and the fire went out. She died at Noyon early in the eighth century, on 11 June according to tradition.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: she has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A noblewoman who founded a convent at Noyon under the guidance of St. Eligius.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Godeberta
- Wikidata Q2123866 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Godeberta (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.