St. Gertrude of Nivelles

[edobed]

St. Gertrude is depicted with mice or rats, against which she is invoked.
Do you know why these rodents appear with her?

 

[dove51]

Hmm. I think this is a bit of a stretch, but this is what Catholic Tradition has to say:

Most representations in art depict her as an abbess with mice, rats, or cats. Commonly seen running up her pastoral staff or cloak are hopeful-looking mice representing Souls in Purgatory, to which she had an intense devotion, just as with St. Gertrude the Great. Even as recently as 1822, offerings of mice made of gold and silver were left at her shrine.

But then, Holy People of the World by a woman named Jestice seems to say about the same thing.

 

[edobed]

Thanks for the comments. :tiphat:
I too had heard of mice representing souls in Purgatory. However, I was wondering why or how such a strange image might have arisen. Also, the soul/mouse thought would not seem to explain why St. Gertrude is also depicted with a cat helping her to spin wool and that she is the patron of cat lovers.

 

[Shin]

Hmm, well, one could say that the souls that go to purgatory are small souls in need of help, and the ones that go quickly up to Heaven are larger and the helpers.

 

[edobed]

Nice thought. I still would like some info based on the history of devotion to explain the strange choice of mice and rats.

 

[FanChan]

That is a bit odd. I never heard about mice representing souls of purgatory, though that did make me think of a series of ink drawings done by a religious that are hanging at Marytown. The artist drew these tiny little mice all throughout most of the works. It was quite amusing to find, and I had to find them in all of the other pictures - tiny little mice just stuck in between the lines of ink, not actually part of the subject matter.

Let’s see what a little research might find out…

I’m still not sure where the image of the mice comes from - I can only go with what the others said about souls in purgatory, but I’m not finding anything supporting that imagery - however, considering she is invoked against rats and the fear of rats and mice, it’s no wonder she’s often seen with a cat near her. I’ll keep looking, as now I’m intrigued by the whole mice=souls in purgatory thing.

 

[edobed]

Thanks much for your interest and effort!
I have just found on the British Museum website an illustration from a 14th century manuscript – St. Gertrude is working with wool and a cat is helping her. No mice in sight.
Also, I have found that there is a very old Vita Sanctae Geretrudis, which I have not been able to find. That work may contain a clue to the historical meaning of the mice to the Saint.

 

[FanChan]

Thanks much for your interest and effort!
I have just found on the British Museum website an illustration from a 14th century manuscript – St. Gertrude is working with wool and a cat is helping her. No mice in sight.
Also, I have found that there is a very old Vita Sanctae Geretrudis, which I have not been able to find. That work may contain a clue to the historical meaning of the mice to the Saint.

Oooh. If you do find something, please post it up here. I’m really interested in learning about that. I’m an artist, and I’ve gotten into the business of religious art, so I’ve a vested interest

 

[edobed]

Nice to know of your interest. I do intend to keep looking for a historically-based rationale for the traditional depiction. In a church near here is a stained-glass window of the Saint with a crosier on whichn is climbing a small mouse.

 

[FanChan]

That seems to be how I keep finding her depicted, with an abbess staff and a little mouse climbing it or her clothes. I just think it’s odd that if the mice do stand for souls in purgatory, why’s she the only one with that symbol? There are plenty of other symbols that are shared between depictions of different saints. And, it would be a bit odd to represent those souls as mice only to then invoke her intercession in keeping mice away Needless to say, I’ll keep looking, too

 

[edobed]

I too will keep on the trail. My special interest is that St. Gertrude is the daughter of my 46th great grandparents

 

[Zooey]

St Gertrude of Nivelles is the patron saint of cats, and of those of us who love cats.
I assumed that this is the reason for the mice/rats…I mean, if you are for cats…

 

[FanChan]

St Gertrude of Nivelles is the patron saint of cats, and of those of us who love cats.
I assumed that this is the reason for the mice/rats…I mean, if you are for cats…

Could be, though that still leaves why she’s the patron saint of cats and cat lovers. And why the mice seem to be flocking to her. Ah well. Could be an anecdote lost to time.

 

[edobed]

No doubt that the partron of cat lovers is also invoked against mice and rats.
My quandry is why is she so designated?
I think that there must be something special in her life that prompted this devotion. She lived in the seventh century, so what was going on then where she lived [today: Belgium]?:nun2:

 

[edobed]

Having consulted many websites, including some in German, I have come to these conclusions:
Gertrude of Nivelles is the St. Gertrud depicted with mice [not St. Gertrude the Great].
Early stories about the Nivelles Saint give two reasons: [1] she or her intercession saved a region’s harvest from a plague of mice; [2] while she was spinning, a mouse came to gnaw at her work; so she concluded that God had sent the mouse to tell her to stop spinning and to start gardening since it was spring. She is also a parton of gardeners. Her feast day is March 17. An old German proverb: St. Gertrud with a mouse sends the spinners out. In other words, March 17 is the day to stop winter work and go to outside work.
The idea of mice as souls in purgatory could come from a mixture of ideas from St. Gertrude the Great, who was devoted to prayer for the poor souls. St. Gertrude teh Great is not depicted with a mouse but a burning heart or a pen – she promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart and translated some of the bible into German.
A cat seems to become associated with St. Gertrude of Nivelles since cats do keep mice away. There is a fifteenth century illustration in which a cat is winding the yarn/thread that the Saint has spun.

Hopefully, this information helps to answer the message beneath the depictions of St. Gertude of Nivelles.
She is also the patron of travelers, hospitals, and the mentally ill.
Any further thoughts are welcome.

 

[FanChan]

Having consulted many websites, including some in German, I have come to these conclusions:
Gertrude of Nivelles is the St. Gertrud depicted with mice [not St. Gertrude the Great].
Early stories about the Nivelles Saint give two reasons: [1] she or her intercession saved a region’s harvest from a plague of mice; [2] while she was spinning, a mouse came to gnaw at her work; so she concluded that God had sent the mouse to tell her to stop spinning and to start gardening since it was spring. She is also a parton of gardeners. Her feast day is March 17. An old German proverb: St. Gertrud with a mouse sends the spinners out. In other words, March 17 is the day to stop winter work and go to outside work.
The idea of mice as souls in purgatory could come from a mixture of ideas from St. Gertrude the Great, who was devoted to prayer for the poor souls. St. Gertrude teh Great is not depicted with a mouse but a burning heart or a pen – she promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart and translated some of the bible into German.
A cat seems to become associated with St. Gertrude of Nivelles since cats do keep mice away. There is a fifteenth century illustration in which a cat is winding the yarn/thread that the Saint has spun.

Hopefully, this information helps to answer the message beneath the depictions of St. Gertude of Nivelles.
She is also the patron of travelers, hospitals, and the mentally ill.
Any further thoughts are welcome.

This is great! Thanks a lot for posting all of that. I hadn’t heard the bit about the mouse coming to gnaw on the spun thread, that’s really neat.

 

[edobed]

Glad you enjoyed the information.
If you search the net for images of the Saints Gertrude, you’ll find some neat ones.