ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY Saints celebrated on the 13th of May WELCOME! SAINT ROLENDE OF GERPINNES, VIRGIN Saint Rolende, who was born in the 8th century and died in Villers-Poterie (today's Belgium) around 774, was a daughter of the king of the Lombards exiled in Gaul. DIDIER, KING OF THE LOMBARDS Defeated by Charlemagne at Pavia (774), Didier, king of the Lombards (in Cisalpine Gaul), was condemned to live in exile with his family (in northern Gaul, perhaps in the Picardy area - the exact location is not known). A POLITICALLY ADVANTAGEOUS MARRIAGE His daughter Rolende, who was said to have been very beautiful, was promised in marriage there to Oger, son of the King of Scotland, an ally of the Lombards. However, Rolende wished to consecrate herself to God in virginity: she refused marriage. HER ESCAPE Fleeing paternal constraint Rolende set out to join the convent of Saint Ursula in Cologne, also known as 'of the Eleven Thousand Virgins'. Falling ill, she st...