Saint Bertha of Blangy

Saint Bertha of Blangy was the daughter of Count Rigobertus and Ursanna, who was herself the daughter of the king of Kent, England. At the age of twenty, Bertha married a nobleman named Siegfried, a cousin of the king, and together they had five daughters. When Siegfried died in 672, Bertha devoted herself entirely to God and works of charity. In 682, she built a convent at Blangy in Artois, France. According to legend, two partially built structures at the site collapsed, but Bertha's faith remained undaunted, and the convent was successfully completed. She entered the religious life she had founded, and several of her daughters followed her, consecrating themselves to God alongside their mother.