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Pharaildis
Patron saint of Ghent
SaintFull write-upPre-congregation
Feast: 4 January (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
650
Died
740
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
At Bruay-sur-l'Escaut near Valenciennes in Artois in Neustria, in present-day France, Saint Pharaildis, widow, who, forced to marry a violent man, is said by tradition to have embraced a life of prayer and austerity until old age.
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
The Roman Martyrology remembers her on 4 January as a widow who, tradition says, lived in prayer and austerity until old age.
Connected on this site
- Amalberga of Maubeuge Saint Parent, Mother
Sources
- Roman Martyrology, 4 January (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q929800 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Pharaildis (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.