Chelles Abbey
Encyclopedia
Chelles Abbey was founded by Saint Balthild
, widow of King Clovis II
of Neustria
circa
658. It was dissolved during the French Revolution
.
Chelles
had been the site of a Merovingian palace, the villa Calae. A church, dedicated to Saint George
had been founded at Chelles by Queen Clothilde. King Chilperic I
and his wife Fredegund
frequently resided there, and Chilperic was assassinated near Chelles in 584.
Balthild named Berthild as the first abbess of the monastery. Balthild herself retired to Chelles in 664 and died there in 680, where she was also buried
. Her possessions were treated as relics at Chelles.
Other royal and noble nuns and abbesses included
Mildrith
may have been educated at Chelles.
Until the Revolution
, when it disappeared, Chelles possessed a renowned Merovingian gold chalice
, enameled and mounted with precious stones (illustration), that was said to have been wrought by Saint Eloi, and a very large number of relics.
Balthild
Saint Balthild of Ascania , also called Bathilda, Baudour, or Bauthieult, was the wife and queen of Clovis II, king of Burgundy and Neustria . Two traditions, independent and conflicting, trace what Wilhelm Levison accounted "truly an extraordinary career for an English slave sold to the Continent"...
, widow of King Clovis II
Clovis II
Clovis II succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639 as King of Neustria and Burgundy. His brother Sigebert III had been King of Austrasia since 634. He was initially under the regency of his mother Nanthild until her death in her early thirties in 642...
of Neustria
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
circa
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
658. It was dissolved during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Chelles
Chelles, Seine-et-Marne
Chelles is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region from the center of Paris....
had been the site of a Merovingian palace, the villa Calae. A church, dedicated to Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
had been founded at Chelles by Queen Clothilde. King Chilperic I
Chilperic I
Chilperic I was the king of Neustria from 561 to his death. He was one of the sons of the Frankish king Clotaire I and Queen Aregund....
and his wife Fredegund
Fredegund
Fredegund was the Queen consort of Chilperic I, the Merovingian Frankish king of Soissons.All her wealth and power came to her through her association with Chilperic...
frequently resided there, and Chilperic was assassinated near Chelles in 584.
Balthild named Berthild as the first abbess of the monastery. Balthild herself retired to Chelles in 664 and died there in 680, where she was also buried
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
. Her possessions were treated as relics at Chelles.
Other royal and noble nuns and abbesses included
- The NorthumbriaNorthumbriaNorthumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
n princess Hereswith, sister of Saint Hilda; - SwanachildSwanachildSwanachild was the second wife of Charles Martel, who brought her back from his first campaign in Bavaria in 725, along with her uncle Grimoald's wife, Biltrude. Swanachild belonged to the clan of the Agilolfings though her parentage is not quite clear...
, discarded wife of Charles MartelCharles MartelCharles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
; - Gisela and RotrudeRotrudeRotrude was the second daughter of Charlemagne from his marriage to Hildegard.-Early life:...
, respectively sister and daughter of CharlemagneCharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
; - Renée, daughter of Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme;
- Marie Henriette, illegitimate daughter of King Henry IV of FranceHenry IV of FranceHenry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
; - Marie, daughter of Claude, Duke of AumaleClaude, Duke of AumaleClaude of Lorraine, Duke of Aumale was the third son of Claude, Duke of Guise and Antoinette de Bourbon. He was a prince of Lorraine by birth....
; - Louise Adélaïde d'OrléansLouise Adélaïde d'OrléansLouise Adélaïde d'Orléans was the third daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, and Françoise Marie de Bourbon, a legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. She was Abbess of Chelles.-Biography:Marie Louise Adélaïde d'Orléans was born at the Palace of Versailles on...
, daughter of Philippe II, Duke of OrléansPhilippe II, Duke of OrléansPhilippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
.
Mildrith
Mildrith
Saint Mildthryth , also Mildrith, Mildryth or Mildred, was an Anglo-Saxon abbess.Mildthryth was the daughter of King Merewalh of Magonsaete, a sub-kingdom of Mercia, and Eormenburh , herself the daughter of King Æthelberht of Kent. Her sisters Milburh and Mildgytha were considered to be saints...
may have been educated at Chelles.
Until the Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, when it disappeared, Chelles possessed a renowned Merovingian gold chalice
Chalice (cup)
A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. In general religious terms, it is intended for drinking during a ceremony.-Christian:...
, enameled and mounted with precious stones (illustration), that was said to have been wrought by Saint Eloi, and a very large number of relics.