Portal:Catholicism/Patron Archive/March 3

Saint Cunigunde of Luxembourg (c. 975 – March 3, 1040 at Kaufungen), also called St. Cunegundes and St. Cunegonda, was the wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Saint Henry II. She is the Patroness of Luxembourg, Lithuania and Poland; her feast day is March 3.

Her parents were Siegfried I of Luxembourg (922 – August 15, 998) and Hedwig of Nordgau (c. 935 – 992). She was a seventh-generation descendant of Charlemagne. Her marriage to St. Henry was a spiritual one, that is, they married for religious companionship and by mutual agreement did not consummate their relationship.

Calumniators accused her of scandalous conduct, but her innocence was signally vindicated by Divine Providence, as she walked over pieces of flaming irons without injury, to the great joy of her husband, the Emperor.

She was very active politically. As the closest adviser of her husband, she took part in Imperial councils. Also, she commanded the Imperial army and defeated the Polish troops in 1012.

In 1014, St. Cunigunde went with her husband to Rome and became Empress, receiving together with St. Henry the Imperial Crown from the hands of Pope Benedict VIII.

After St. Henry's death in 1024, she became regent together with her brother and handed over the Imperial insignia when Conrad II was elected to succeed.

As a widow, St. Cunigunde was left comparatively poor, owing to the enormous wealth given away by her and St. Henry in charitable works.

In 1025, exactly one year after the death of her husband, St. Cunigunde retired to Kaufungen Abbey, a convent of Benedictine nuns she founded at Kaufungen, (Hesse), Germany. She died in 1040, and was buried at Bamberg Cathedral near her husband. She was canonised by Pope Innocent III on March 29, 1200.

It was reported in the Papal Bull that St. Cunigunde fell asleep one night and was carried into bed. Her maid also fell asleep and a candle set the bed on fire. The blaze awoke both of them and upon Cunigunde executing the Sign of the Cross, the fire immediately disappeared, saving them from burning.
Attributes: Empress, widow
Patronage: Patroness of Luxembourg, Lithuania and Poland
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