Today Is Also ‘St Gertrude’s Day'; Celebrate The Patron Saint Of Cats [View all]

[riqster]

http://junkee.com/today-is-also-st-gertrudes-day-celebrate-the-patron-saint-of-cats/53228#r5AQ1Cv4LBAh67li.01


Who on the Internet could argue with this?

Statues, illuminated manuscripts, church fresco paintings and stained glass windows commonly depict Gertrude in a garden setting, surrounded by cats, rats and mice – often with a mouse running up her staff. The animals are often held to represent souls in purgatory, for whose salvation Gertrude fervently prayed when she was alive. As recently as 1822, pilgrims left offerings at her shrine in the form of golden and silver mice. More prosaically, Gertrude and her nuns also kept cats to combat the vermin problem at Nivelles abbey.

On a day that has become unfortunately associated with public displays of boorish masculinity, wouldn’t it be nice to honour a saint whose domains of patronage have traditionally been belittled as feminised and domestic? Gertrude was an independent woman who refused to be treated as a chattel. Now she watches over nature, and calms stormy seas and minds… if you have faith in her.