Thiatildis

Thiatildis was the first abbess of the convent of Freckenhorst in Westphalia, founded around 854, and is honored as a saint. She is remembered on 30 January.

The foundation charter names as abbess Geva, wife of the founder Everword, but that charter is a forgery and Geva cannot be proven; for this reason Thiatildis is counted today as the first abbess. A late legend says she was a niece of the founder, which cannot be verified, though it seems certain that she was related to him. It is told that as a small child she fell into a pot of boiling water and came out unharmed, so she was dedicated to God and given to the convent.

Nothing sure is known of her work. The holy cross venerated at Freckenhorst was, according to legend, already in her possession, which is historically unlikely. According to the legend her day of death is 30 January. A chapel may have been built over her grave after her death. The Low German translation of her legend, from around 1500, says that the grave moves slowly, whence arose the tale that when it reaches the well of Thiatildis the end of the world will come.

In the Middle Ages she was much honored at Freckenhorst; the celebrations, with almsgiving, lasted each year from 27 to 31 January. She is a local saint of the West; no Orthodox synodal canonization is known.