Sigolena of Albi (fl. 7th c.)

French deaconess and saint. Flourished in the 7th century in Albi, France.

One of the early female saints, Sigolena of Albi is known because an anonymous admirer, probably a monk or nun over whom she had held office, wrote of her life. This biography tells of young Sigolena's marriage against her will: her parents forced her to marry but she wanted to dedicate herself to serving God. She even supposedly offered to give her husband everything she owned if he would agree to dissolve the union and let her leave. She was still married to him when he died, but her widowhood finally gave her an opportunity to live as she wished; she founded a monastery and became its leader, and was consecrated as a deaconess.

That office was highly controversial and had even been forbidden by the Church in the 6th century, though several women besides Sigolena are found to have held the office in the 7th century. A deaconess was defined as a widowed woman who took a nun's vows and devoted herself to prayer, abstinence, and charitable work. However, she was also blessed with an authority similar to that of a priest—she could administer the sacraments and give benediction to a congregation. Hence the controversy over the legitimacy of the office, since the Church wavered on the question of women's sanctity and their ability to exercise authority over the souls of men. Sigolena served as deaconess for many years, and was canonized shortly after her death.

sources:

Dunbar, Agnes. Dictionary of Saintly Women, vol. I. London: G. Bell, 1904.

Klapisch-Zuber, Christiane, ed. A History of Women in the West, vol. II: Silences of the Middle Ages. Cambridge: Belknap-Harvard, 1992.

Laura York , M.A. in History, University of California, Riverside, California