Portal:Catholic Church/Patron Archive/December 16

Saint Adelaide on a stained glass window by Lorin, in the Church of Toury.

Adelaide of Italy (German: Adelheid; 931 – 16 December 999 AD), also called Adelaide of Burgundy, was Holy Roman Empress by marriage to Emperor Otto the Great. She was crowned with him by Pope John XII in Rome on 2 February 962. She was the first empress designated consors regni, denoting a "co-bearer of royalty" who shared power with her husband. She was essential as a model for future consorts regarding both status and political influence. She was regent of the Holy Roman Empire as the guardian of her grandson in 991–995. (Full article...)


Attributes: Empress dispensing alms and food to the poor, often beside a ship
Patronage: Abuse victims; brides; empresses; exiles; in-law problems; parenthood; parents of large families; princesses; prisoners; second marriages; step-parents; widows
See also: Adelaide of Italy; Martyrs of Laos