ANSTRUDIS, ST.

b. c. 645; d. c. 709. Anstrudis (Austru, Austrude) was the daughter of SS. Blandinus and Salaberga. At the age of 12, when a certain Laudrannus claimed her in marriage, she sought refuge in the monastery of Notre Dame (later Saint-Jean) of Laon, where her mother was abbess (c. 657). At the age of 20 she succeeded her mother. The death of her brother Baldwin, deacon of Laon (c. 679), marked the beginning of serious difficulties in her life. She was accused of a liaison with the mayor of the palace, Ebroin, and the Bishop of Laon, Madelgarius, tried to take the abbey from her. More than once her life was in danger. At her death she was buried in one of seven churches built around her convent, and numerous miracles have been attributed to her. Her cult began soon after her death; her relics, transferred to Saint-Jean of Laon, were venerated there until the French Revolution.

Feast: Oct. 17.

Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum Oct. 8:108–117. Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum 6:64–78. m. melleville, Histoire de la ville de Laon, 2 v. (Laon 1846) v.2. p. fournier, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, ed. a. baudrillart et al. (Paris 1912) 5:798. g. jacquemet, Catholicisme 1:622. e. ewig, Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 1957–65) 1:601. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienhereux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes (Paris 1935–56) 10:548–549. m. a. calabrese, Bibliotheca sanctorum 2: 44–45.

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