ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JULY Saints celebrated on the 8th of July WELCOME! SAINT LANDRADA, ABBESS OF BILSEN Landrada and Amalia (Amalberga) Saint Landrada (July 8), virgin and abbess of Bilsen ( Belisia, Belsena ) in the region of Liège, was born around the year 620. She descended from the noble family of the Frankish stewards of the palace ( Majores domus ); according to some, she was even the granddaughter ( neptis ) of Pepin of Landen , and the daughter of Saint Begga [Bega] and Ansegesil [Auslgisus], thus a sister of Pepin of Heristall, a claim which the Bollandist * Pinius (p. 620, nos. 4, 5 ) disputes. From her early youth, she strove for virginal chastity, for which she steadfastly and eloquently refused the marriage desired by her illustrious parents. She enclosed herself in the confines of a cell, where she led a very austere life. Even during a spell of a severe feverish illness Landrada spurned a soft bed. Moreover, she shone ...
ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JULY Saints celebrated on the 10th of July WELCOME! SAINT AMALIA, VIRGIN Saint Amalia (Amalberga) of Temse On July 10, we commemorate Saint Amalia (Amalberga) [of Temse]. The holy virgin Amalia, who is quite distinct from Saint Amalberga , has caused scholars much trouble because her biography is highly inaccurate in many respects, especially regarding the time in which she lived. Moreover, it contains a number of statements which essentially refer to her namesake - a different person altogether - the holy widow Amalberga . The essential facts of our Amalia's (Amalberga's) life are as follows: She descended from a noble family (perhaps from the line of Frankish princes) and was born on her father's estate at Rodin in Flanders. She was endowed with rare virtues of mind and body, so that she was an object of general esteem and admiration from an early age. Charles Martel courted her hand so earnestly that he is said to h...