Symbolic Expressions of Sanctity: Gertrude of Nivelles in the Context of Merovingian Mortuary Custom

Abstract

"Symbolic Expressions of Sanctity: Gertrude of Nivelles in the Context of Merovingian Mortuary Custom." In response to the assumption that the general abandonment of elaborate mortuary adornment in seventh-century Gaul resulted primarily from a process of Christianization or growing spirituality among Christians in the region, this article assesses the long-term influence of the burial of Gertrude of Nivelles (d. 659). Although Gertrude's vita is well known for its account of her request to be interred with objects of little worldly value, nonetheless the powerful amuletic and symbolic significance of her choice of grave goods must not be overlooked. Rather than providing an example critical to the Merovingian transition from the use of lavish funerary objects in Christian sepulchers, Gertrude's preference for an ascetic funerary costume was soon overshadowed by the Pippinids' subsequent promotion of her veneration as a saint at the site of her translation.

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