Saint Richardis, Empress
Empress and Foundress
Wife of Emperor Charles the Fat, Saint Richardis was unjustly accused of infidelity. She miraculously proved her innocence and virginity by emerging unscathed from a blazing fire. She then retired to Alsace to found the monastery of Andlau, where she spent the remainder of her days in piety.
Guided reading
5 reading sections
SAINT RICHARDIS, EMPRESS,
Ancestry and Imperial Marriage
Daughter of the Count of Alsace, Richardis married Emperor Charles the Fat and was crowned empress by Pope John VIII in 881.
FOUNDER OF THE MONASTERY OF ANDLAU, IN THE DIOCESE OF STRASBOURG (893 or 894).
Richardis, most illustrious by her birth (she was the daughter of Erchanger of Nordgau, Count of Alsace), and even more illustrious by her virtues, was married to Emperor Charles the Fat (832-888), and was crowned and anointed with her husband in 881 by the Sovereign Pontiff John VIII. As she was gifted with rare prudence, Charles associated her with the government; she used her power for the good of religion and for the happiness of the empire. The Pope addressed this pious princess with the goal of obtaining that the emperor send aid to defend the city of Rome against the incursions of the Saracens. Calumny tried to blacken the virtue of Saint sainte Richarde Empress of the West, wife of Charles the Fat, and founder of Andlau Abbey. Richardis; but it succeeded only in making it shine all the more. She was accused of betraying her conjugal fidelity. The emperor, too credulous, forced her to justify herself before all the great men of the empire assembled. The holy empress appeared with intrepidity before this tribunal, saying in her heart: "Lord, I am innocent, do not deliver me to those who slander me." She offered to prove her innocence by the judgment of God. A great fire was lit all around her; Saint Richardis stood motionless in the midst of the flames, then emerged without receiving the slightest injury. After this event, she left the court, with the consent of the emperor, who even bore witness to her virginity. Having thus laid down her crown, the illustrious empress and virgin retired to Andlau (Bas-Rhin), where she founded, endowed, and instituted a monastery. She lived there for several years. After her death, miracles attested t o her h Léon IX Pope who visited the saint's sepulchre in 1049. oliness. Pope Leo IX, passing through Alsace in 1049, raised the body of Saint Richardis and placed it in a larger and more beautiful tomb behind the high altar.
The Ordeal by Fire
Unjustly accused of infidelity, Richarde proves her innocence and virginity by emerging unscathed from a blaze during a judgment of God.
The parish church of El ival ( Elival Place where the saint's relics are kept. formerly an abbey of the Premonstratensian Order), in the diocese of Saint-Dié, has preserved two notable relics of Saint Richarde: 1st, the robe she was wearing when she underwent the ordeal by la robe dont elle était vêtue quand elle subit l'épreuve du feu Garment worn by the saint during the ordeal by fire. fire as a testimony to her chastity; and 2nd, son chef Relic of the saint's skull preserved at Elival. her head, divided into two parts. The rich reliquary that contained these notable relics perished during the Revolution, but the relics were saved, and are presently enclosed in a poor, worm-eaten wooden reliquary, placed at the top of a side altar.
Foundation of Andlau and posterity
After her withdrawal from the court, she founded the monastery of Andlau where she ended her days; her body was later elevated by Pope Leo IX.
Taken from the Proper of Strasbourg, and from notes provided by the kindness of Abbé J.-F. de Blaye.
Relics and preservation
The church of Elival preserves her robe from the ordeal by fire and her head, despite the destructions of the French Revolution.
The parish church of Elival (formerly an abbey of the Premonstratensian Order), in the diocese of Saint-Dié, has preserved two notable relics of Saint Richardis: 1° the robe she was wearing when she underwent the ordeal by fire as a testimony to her chastity; and 2° her head, divided into two parts. The rich reliquary that contained these notable relics perished during the Revolution, but the relics were saved, and are presently enclosed in a poor, worm-eaten wooden reliquary, placed at the top of a side altar.
Sources
The account is based on the Proper of Strasbourg and the notes of the Abbé de Blaye.
Taken from the Proper of Strasbourg, and from notes due to the kindness of the Abbé J.-F. de Blaye.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Marriage to Emperor Charles the Fat
- Coronation and anointing by Pope John VIII in 881
- Slanderous accusation of marital infidelity
- Ordeal by fire to prove her innocence and virginity
- Retirement and foundation of the Andlau monastery
- Elevation of the body by Pope Leo IX in 1049
Miracles
- Immobility and survival without injury in the midst of a great fire
- Posthumous miracles attesting to her holiness
Quotes
-
Lord, I am innocent, do not deliver me to those who slander me
Oral tradition reported in the text