Richardis

For other people named Richardis (given name)|Richardis (given name), see Richardis (given name) (disambiguation).

Saint Richardis
Holy Roman Empress
Born	c. 840
Died	18 September, c. 895 Andlau, Alsace
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Major shrine	Andlau Abbey
Feast	18 September
Attributes	dressed in Imperial robes with crown and palm, and surrounded by flames; dressed as a nun, with crown laid aside, and burning pieces of wood, as well as a bear and a ploughshare
Patronage	Andlau; protection against fire

Saint Richardis, also known as Richgard and Richardis of Swabia (c. 840 – 18 September, between 894 and 896), was the Holy Roman Empress as the wife of Charles the Fat. She was renowned for her piety.

Life

She was born in Alsace, the daughter of Erchanger, count of the Nordgau, of the family of the Ahalolfinger. She married Charles in 862 and was crowned with him in Rome by Pope John VIII in 881. The marriage was childless.

In the crisis of 887, in an effort to bring down the over-powerful and hated Liutward, Charles' archchancellor, he and Richardis were accused by Charles and his courtiers of adultery. She was put to the ordeal by fire, which she passed successfully.

She then withdrew to Andlau Abbey, which she had founded on her ancestral lands in 880, and where her niece Rotrod was abbess. (Richardis herself was previously lay abbess of religious houses at Säckingen and Zurich). She died at Andlau on 18 September and was buried there.

Cultus

Richardis was later canonised by the Roman Catholic Church and her remains were translated in November 1049 by Pope Leo IX to a more impressive tomb in the newly rebuilt abbey church. The present tomb dates from 1350.

Richardis is patron of Andlau, and of protection against fires. Her iconography refers to her status as an empress and nun and to her ordeal by fire. The bear and ploughshare refer to the foundation legend of Andlau Abbey.

Sources

• Ekkart Sauser (2000). "Richardis (Richarde, Richgarda, Richkart): hl. Kaiserin". In Bautz, Traugott (ed.). Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). Vol. 17. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 1141–1142. ISBN 3-88309-080-8.
• Wilhelm Wiegand (1889), "Richgard", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 28, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 420–421