Tuesday 10 July 2018

# Saints

Saint Amalberga of Temse

Image: From the book Caractâeristiques des saints dans l’art populaire (1867)

The 10th of July is the feast day of Saint Amalberga of Temse (741 – 10 July 772). She is also known as Saint Amelia and is the patron saint of farmers, fishermen, sufferers of arm and shoulder pain.

Saint Amalberga was born to noble and pious Christians in Ardennes which is the land bordering today’s Belgium and Luxembourg. She committed her virginity to Christ when she was young and was beautiful and virtuous. She was pursued her hand in marriage by young Charles, later known as Charlemagne, who broke her arm while trying to hold her hand. Her arm was miraculously healed afterwards. She entered the Benedictine abbey of Münster-Bilzen in Belgium and built a church dedicated to Our Lady in Temsche, Belgium. She is known to perform many miracles, one of which was that she stood on the back of a giant sturgeon fish. She also cured Charles who was stricken with illness because of the rude way he had treated Saint Amalberga.

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