Biography
Bertha of Val d'Or
About Bertha of Val d'Or
Bertha of Val d’Or, also known as Bertha of Avenay, is remembered as the first abbess of a community in Champagne. The received account says that she and her husband Gundebert separated to enter religious life, and that she gave her property to the convent.
Sources differ over which spouse founded it and over the rule that the community initially followed. Later tradition tells of her finding a water source for the convent and village, and of her death at the hands of relatives.
The church biography explicitly describes the legend as late and unreliable. Her identity is nevertheless preserved in the convent’s history and local commemoration.
Wondering how to weigh the stories and sources? Learn how to read a saint biography.